The Call
by Avatar Amaya and Dragora Kyuri
Summary: Amaya is on the road again, this time looking for an Earthbending teacher. After their triumph at the North Pole, news of her is spreading, and that's not all. An encounter with a certain Prince at the North Pole leaves her with feelings she's not sure she can handle. Along with that comes the continuing struggle against the Fire Nation, and so much more. SEQUEL TO DREAMS ZukoOC
1. In Which Amaya Glows It Up

_Fear._

_Amaya could practically smell it as she wandered through the Air Temple, and that worried her. She pushed a curtain aside and froze. She was staring at… herself._

_But she'd never seen herself like this before, and perhaps that was why it affected her so deeply. She'd never seen what the glow did to her face, washing her out and highlighting her cheekbones, giving her a demonic appearance as she snarled. Katara and Sokka crouched behind rocks in front of her, and the other her slammed her fists together, blasting her back against a wall._

_Suddenly the room was red and gold, grand and supported with elaborate columns. She recognized the worked door in front of her from the Fire Temple as it unlocked, the flames and dragons falling before the doors ground open. There was the other her again, still glowing, still snarling, only now spitting fire. She sliced and the floor beneath her opened up, the edges glowing hot._

_She dropped onto hard metal, cool beneath her fingers. She recognized the smells of a Fire Navy ship, sea, and coal, as she stared up at herself one more. This was by far the worst. She was still snarling, still glowing, but now enveloped in water shaped like the ocean spirit, a force of vengeance and destruction. The other her brought her arm down damningly, and Amaya shot up._

Amaya woke up panting, glowing eyes superimposed over her vision for a moment and she panicked. But then she felt the gentle bob of the Water Tribe ship they were on and came back to herself. Amaya rolled out of her hammock and strode across the wood, padding softly in an effort not to wake anyone as she went for the deck. She needed an open space, sea air around her.

Apparently she hadn't managed to get out without being spotted, because it was only a moment before Katara joined her.

"What's wrong?" she asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Nightmare," Amaya sighed, and didn't expand.

"Want to talk about it?"

Amaya hung her head. "I was in the Avatar State, but I was outside my body. It was scary, _I_ was scary." Is that really what I look like? she wondered to herself. It was almost… inhuman.

* * *

The next morning was a time for goodbyes as they left the Water Tribe ship. Pakku and the others were continuing on to the Southern Water tribe, but they were heading for the Earth Kingdom.

"Katara, I want you to have this," Pakku said, reaching into a bag and pulling out a conical vial with a moon-shaped stopper, hung from a necklace. "It's filled with water from the spirit oasis. It has powerful properties. Mikazuki wanted me to give it to you. Don't lose it," he added teasingly, handing it to Katara. She stepped forwards and took it, looping it around her neck before hugging the old man.

"Thank you Master Pakku," she said, and turned to mount Appa.

Amaya stepped forwards next, dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep. Pakku handed her a box with the water tribe symbol on the lid. She slid the top back and revealed a small cache of scrolls. "These scrolls will help you master Waterbending," Pakku explained. "But remember, nothing can substitute for a master."

Amaya turned to look at Katara and slapped her a high-five as she hopped onto Appa's head. Sokka stepped forwards then.

"Sokka," Pakku said, lowering his bag. "Take care son."

Amaya snickered as Sokka slumped, scowling. The boy clambered up onto Appa as Pakku continued his instructions.

"Fly straight to the Earth Kingdom base to the east of here. There General Fong will give you an escort to Omashu, where you'll be safe to begin your Earthbending training with King Bumi."

"Thanks Pakku," Amaya grinned. "Yip yip!"

"Say hi to Gran-Gran for me!" Katara called back, and a bit of a blush appeared in Pakku's cheeks.

"It's sweet," Amaya said fondly. "All these years later her still loves her."

"I know!" Katara grinned. "Sokka, wouldn't it be amazing if he and Gran-Gran got married?"

"I think the word you're looking for is gross," Sokka corrected.

Katara put her hands on her hips. "The problem with you is that you don't have a romantic bone in your body."

"Yeah, like Katara!" Amaya teased. "She got arrested to save Haru's father. If that's not love I don't know what is!"

"I was just trying to help that poor village, Haru had nothing to do with it!" Katara protested, but she was red now too.

"Mm hm, that's why you only went to prison after Haru was arrested," Amaya grinned.

"Shut up," Katara grumbled. Amaya laughed.

The journey to the Earth Kingdom base was fairly easy, smooth skies the whole way. It was Sokka that spotted the base first, crying out, "There it is!"

Amaya brought them in for a smooth landing in the courtyard where a large group waited. They all dismounted to be greeted by a man in Earth Kingdom armor and a truly impressive beard, flanked by several ranks of soldiers.

"Greetings, Avatar Amaya!" the man said grandly. "And welcome to all of you heroes. Appa, Momo, the brave Sokka, the mighty Katara."

"Mighty Katara?" Katara grinned. "I like that."

They all flinched and turned around at the sound of several explosions. However, it proved to be only fireworks shot into the air by a few of the soldiers.

"Impressive," Sokka grinned. "I like it here."

Amaya just shook her head. The best way to annoy her these days was to oh and ah and act like she was some sort of legend brought to life. People bowing and scraping was never what she had wanted. The over-the-top attempts to impress her were even worse sometimes.

But nonetheless, they were grandly welcomed and led to the General's office as Appa was taken away to a stable for some hay.

"We've all heard stories of your heroics in the Northern Tribe, of how you wiped out a Fire Navy fleet single-handedly. To wield such devastating power. It must be an awesome responsibility."

Amaya's eyes narrowed. General Fong was slowly rising on her 'people to be suspicious of' list. The way he said that, it was as if he wanted such power, and she didn't like the way that boded.

"I try not to think about it," she said honestly, and she did. To be fused with a spirit had been to lose part of herself in exchange for that 'destructive power' and it was a price she didn't like to pay.

"Avatar, you're ready to face the Fire Lord."

Amaya couldn't help herself. She shot upright and shouted, "Fong, what are you smoking?"

"Amaya still hasn't mastered all the elements!" Katara protested.

"Why should she?" Fong smiled. "With the power she possesses now, to take down a fleet of Fire Navy ships in a matter of minutes, she's more than ready to face the Fire Lord now."

"But, sir," Sokka said respectfully. "Amaya can only do those kinds of things in the Avatar State."

"See, it's this thing where-"

"I'm aware!" Fong said sharply. "Your eyes and tattoos glow, and you're able to summon unimaginable power. Without your help, we'd be slaughtered before we reached their shores. But with you leading us, the ultimate weapon, we'd be able to cut a swathe right through to the heart of the Fire Nation."

"Yeah, you could," Amaya said as if talking to a rather slow child. "But I can't really switch it on or off, much less control it once I'm there. I'd be just as likely to hurt people on my side as others."

"It's decided then!" Fong said delightedly. "I'll help you get into the Avatar State if you'll lead our army and face your destiny!"

"Nothing's decided!" Katara protested as she and Sokka stood beside Amaya.

"Did the definition of decided change in the last few years?" Amaya asked.

"We have a plan," Sokka said. "Amaya's facing her destiny after she's mastered all the elements."

"But unfortunately," Fong said. "While you bide your time learning the elements, the war goes on. May I show you something?"

Amaya watched as the General walked over to a window. He gestured for her to come and she did, but she did so slowly, not removing her eyes from the General.

"That is the infirmary down there, and those soldiers? They're the lucky ones. They came back."

Amaya stared down. Men on crutches, men with arms in slings, men with gauze around their heads and chests, men with entire limbs swaddled in white fabric.

"Every day the Fire Nation takes more lives. People are _dying_ Amaya! And you could end it now. I'll leave you to ponder that," the General finished, leaving the window, and Amaya gritted her teeth. The General was a jerk, but he was correct. When it was just her, Katara, and Sokka it was easy to forget that elsewhere people were fighting for their lives and freedom, that people were injured, lost limbs and lives to protect those things. And the General had just shoved that fact in her face and scolded her for forgetting it, all the while presenting her with a way to fix it that followed his wishes.

Darn him, he'd found her weak spot. She _hated_ it when people got hurt on her account. And if she refused, she could be responsible for untold amounts of casualties.

* * *

Amaya wasn't sure whether to hate herself for considering this, or be glad that this opportunity had dropped into her lap. Either way, she was ashamed as she snuck out of the room she shared with Katara and Sokka and made her way down the halls.

Roku had always stressed to her the importance of learning the elements. Was she going against him by even considering this? Yes. Did she care? Oh yes. Did she have a choice? …Yes, but at the same time no. If she could end this, she had the duty to, before more people were hurt.

The weight of Roku's headpiece was suddenly heavy on her head, and she felt guilty for wearing his artifact while defying him, like it was a gesture mocking his ideals. Somewhere along the way, Roku had in a way replaced Gyatso for her as a father figure. Oh, Gyatso would still hold a very special and very large place in her heart, but a little bit had been taken over by Roku.

"General Fong?" she called as she walked into his office. The man himself sat at his desk in the dim light from a candle, doing paperwork.

"Ah, Amaya," he said, looking up and smiling when he saw her. She didn't like the expectant gleam in his eye. "Have you thought more about our discussion?"

"Yes," she admitted, slumping in defeat as she said, "I'm in. I'll fight the Fire Lord."

And I'll hate every minute of it.

"Wonderful, we'll start with-"

But Amaya ignored him and just turned and walked away. She'd said all she had to say, and she had no desire to listen. She trudged back to her room and slipped inside, sitting down on the side of her cot.

"Amaya?" Katara asked, sitting up in bed and leaning on one arm.

"I told the General I'd go along with his plan and fight the Fire Lord," Amaya said softly.

"Amaya, no!" Katara protested. "This isn't the way!"

"Why not?" Sokka said. "You saw the way she took out the Fire Nation. It was incredible."

"There's a right way to do this. Study, discipline…"

"Or just glow it up and beat that Fire Lord!"

"Fine!" Katara snapped, standing up right. "If you two meatheads want to throw away everything we've worked for, then by all means just _glow it up!"_

She made for the door, but Amaya stopped her.

"Katara, I _agree_ with you," she stressed.

"What?" Sokka and Katara chorused, Sokka in surprise and Katara in confusion.

"But, if you think you should learn all the elements first, then why?" Katara asked.

"I can't take it," Amaya sighed, pressing the heels of her palms into her forehead and leaning forwards. "Katara, if I do this, all the war, the casualties, all the death, the grieving families, it'll stop there too. If I don't, who knows how many more people will suffer? I was perfectly content ignoring the fact that there is a war going on and people are dying, but Fong shoved that in my face today, and presented me with a way to stop it. I have to take it, or all that's on my head."

"Amaya, no it isn't," Katara said soothingly.

"Yes it is!" Amaya shouted. "It is! Katara, don't try and talk me out of this! Believe me, I tried for hours. I'm going against everything I wanted to do. Good- goodnight," she finished softly, laying down and rolling over to face the walls, pulling the sheet up to her chin and closing her eyes tightly.

She listened intently for Sokka to lay back down, for Katara to go back to her bed. When the sound of Katara's deep breathing and Sokka's snores finally filled the room, she stopped pretending sleep and just lay there.

In the dark of the room she had still another problem to face. The dreams she'd been having. The Avatar State was terrifying to her, she didn't like it at all, but it wasn't enough to change her mind. It was enough, however, to make her not want to sleep so that she wouldn't dream.

* * *

Amaya was up the next morning with the sun, due to the fact that she'd never really gone to sleep. She looked horrible, her tunic wrinkled, her braid cockeyed and drooping, and the crown skewed.

She sat in front of a man in yellowish green robes that hurt her eyes to look at, the General to her right. Katara and Sokka sat behind her, Momo perched in Katara's lap.

"This rare, chi-enhancing tea is a natural stimulant," the man said, pouring her a steaming cup. "In a normal warrior, it increases strength and speed ten-fold. In you, it could trigger the Avatar State."

"Ten-fold energy?" Amaya repeated, taking the cup warily. She could see this going horribly, but the General wouldn't let her back out now. She downed the tea, gagging at the herby flavor and froze.

"Whoo!" she screamed, jumping upright and twirling in a tornado. "I feel great, really great, this is really, realy, really really reallyreallyreallyreally awesome! Am I in the Avatar State yet? Huh? Huh? Am I? Am I? I think I might- oof!"

She lost focus and the tornado wrenched wildly, spinning her into one of the columns supporting the pagoda roof.

Up next was Sokka, and that made Amaya a little nervous. What did he have planned?

"Maybe I can shock you into the Avatar State," Sokka theorized.

"Okay," Amaya said. That didn't sound too bad. "I like surprises."

Katara clasped her hands over Amaya's eyes, and then removed them after a moment.

Amaya's first impression was of Sokka with Momo's head. It was disturbing, to say the least, and not just because of the grotesque size difference in the two. She yelped and recoiled, but it went no farther than that.

"Yeah, severe lack of glowing here people," she deadpanned.

An hour later she was dressed in a ridiculously over-sized, furry, blue robe, a red skirt of some sort of itchy fabric, and an outrageous green hat with leaves sticking out of the top. A man in a furry vest and some strange amulet was in front of her at an alter.

"You are now wearing a ceremonial piece of clothing from each of the four bending nations," he intoned. "I will now join the four elements into one. Water, Earth, Fire, Air, together as one!" He dumped a pitcher of water and some dirt into a silver basin, before throwing in a torch and blowing on it with a bellows. He lifted the basin into the air and threw it on her. Amaya blinked as mud splattered all over her.

"This is mud!" she said angrily, before her face contorted. Everyone leaned forwards eagerly to watch in awe as Amaya…sneezed. Mud splattered everywhere, especially thick on General Fong and the crazy man who dressed her up like this. She smirked, pleased.

"We have to find a way," Fong muttered.

* * *

"Can I ask you something?" Katara asked Amaya as they stood on a balcony of the base, staring out at the sunset.

"What's on your mind?" Amaya sighed, though she knew very well.

"Do you remember at the Air Temple when you found monk Gyatso's bones?"

"Katara," Amaya said sharply. "Of course I do. I'll remember _that_ until the day I die."

"I know. It must have been so horrible and traumatic for you. I saw you get so upset that you weren't even you anymore. I'm not saying that the Avatar State doesn't have helpful, incredible power. But for the people that love you, watching you be in that much rage and pain is scary."

"I know," Amaya sad. "I'm glad you told me that, and you just hit on the exact reason I hate the Avatar State. I'm not me anymore, I'm just something instinctual. Amaya, the part of my mind that makes me _me_, is gone. But unfortunately, I don't have a choice. I haven't had a choice in quite a while."

"What do you mean?" Katara asked.

"I woke up from being sealed in ice to find a mess I was immediately told I had to clean up, and how to do it. How many people died in the hundred years I was late? Defeating the Fire Lord is the only way to end this. I have to do this."

"I can't watch you do this to yourself."

"Then don't," Amaya sighed.

"I'm not coming tomorrow," Katara said, walking away.

"That's fine," Amaya said, though in reality it was anything but.

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

* * *

_Zuko and Iroh were in a room, dressed far more casually than Amaya had ever seen. The scent of cherry blossoms filled the air and the room was well-lit from the sun outside. However, there was a dark blot on the scene. A girl in Fire Nation armor, the same gold eyes as Zuko, and a crown around her hair. Zuko's sister. So this was her, the one his father said was born lucky._

_Amaya hated her on sight. That only increased when she spoke. _

"_I've come with a message from home. Father's changed his mind. Family is suddenly very important to him." Her voice was blasé, casual, but with an underlying malicious glee that sent shivers down her spine. "He's heard rumors of plans to overthrow him, treacherous plots. Family are the only ones you can really trust." _

_She turned her head away, the perfect image of a melancholy family member, but there was a fakeness to it, a rehearsed ease to her movements. Perhaps the worst part was the undisguised look of pleading in Zuko's eyes, hoping this was all true. "Father regrets your banishment. He wants you home."_

_There was a moment of silence, and the girl was suddenly angry, almost offended. "Did you hear me?" she demanded. "You should be happy, excited, _grateful._ I just gave you great news!"_

_He should be happy, excited, grateful, his father was allowing him back into his homeland? This girl was sick._

"_I'm sure your brother simply needs a moment to-"_

"Don't interrupt uncle!" _the girl snapped. "I still haven't heard my thank you. I'm _not_ a messenger. I didn't _have_ to come all this way."_

"_Father regrets?" Zuko said softly. "He- He wants me back?"_

_Amaya walked to his side and placed a hand on his shoulder, put of course, even though she connected, Zuko didn't react. It was all just a dream. _

"_Don't believe her," Amaya whispered in his ear. "She's lying. I know it."_

* * *

Far, far to the west, Zuko's eyes widened. He was sure he had felt a hand on his shoulder, even though there was no one behind him. Even now he could feel the soft heat of another body, feel the shape of a palm applying light pressure.

"_Don't believe her,"_ a voice whispered in his ear. _"She's lying. I know it."_

It was a voice he recognized, the voice of the Avatar. But she wasn't here; there was no possible way…

Still he looked up and turned around, scanning the room. Only Iroh and Azula, as it should be. But he still couldn't shake the niggling feeling that he really had heard those words; that they were meant for him.

* * *

_The dream suddenly shifted to her nightmare. She was there, in the Avatar State, high over the deck of a ship. Water streamed around her as she landed. Avatar State Amaya threw a wall of water at her, and Amaya was washed over the side of the ship. She suddenly realized, this was the first time she had triggered the State when she got out of the ice. That meant…_

_The hauled herself up on deck only to see Zuko turn tail and run from her. The expression of fear on his face was something she had never wanted to see as a reaction to her. _

Amaya shot straight out of bed when she woke up the next morning, sitting ram-rod straight and panting. That dream… It was so vivid, more so that any of the others she had had featuring the Fire Prince. What could have triggered that?

Amaya flushed as she remembered the last time they had seen each other in person. Oh. The kiss. Could that be it?

But that girl in his dream, his sister. She now felt even sorrier for him as she saw what shadow he had lived in. The girl was good, and she knew it, you could tell by her confidence. But there was also that underlying wicked quality that made Amaya want to strangle her.

But that little feeling from the North Pole was back. That feeling of caring. She knew that she cared for Zuko, even though they were considered enemies. She couldn't think of him that way anymore though, not since she had seen the more emotional side of him when she confessed to her earlier dreams. It had been such an emotionally charged situation for both of them. Words had been said, a kiss had been exchanged, and things had changed for her.

"Amaya, are you okay?" Sokka asked. He was sitting on the edge of his bed, pulling on his boots. "Bad dream?"

"Yes, but that's not it," Amaya said. She was sure now. That dream was what she'd needed to steel her resolve. She was confident now, immovable. "I don't think we should be trying to bring on the Avatar State."

"Okay," Sokka shrugged.

"You don't mind?" Amaya asked, surprised. "You seemed all for it yesterday."

"Yeah, but after everything we tried yesterday I'm not sure it's something that you can just turn on and off," Sokka sighed. "So it's up to you whether we continue or not."

"Thanks," Amaya said, relieved. "How do you think the General will take it?"

"What can he do?" Sokka chuckled. "You're the Avatar! You'd know best."

* * *

"Sir, I know this was a tactic you had your heart set on, but I don't believe it's possible to trigger the Avatar State," Amaya said, bowing respectfully.

"Are you sure I can't change your mind?" Fong asked.

"Yes," Amaya nodded. "It only happens when I'm in genuine danger, I think."

"I see." Fong sighed. "I was afraid you'd say that."

"Wha-?"

Amaya looked up just in time to see the General's desk come screeching across the floor and catch her in the stomach. She was pushed along in front of it until her back slammed into a wall and she was forced through. Suddenly there was no ground under her and she was falling. She hit the ground four stories below hard, her breath gone. She looked up blearily to see Fong framed by the new hole in his wall, pointing down at her."

"Men! Attack the Avatar!"

Fong jumped and landed in front of her. Blocks of stone rippled across the courtyards and forced her into the air. Amaya landed on her feet and stared at him, at a loss.

"What are you doing?" she demanded.

"I believe we're about to get results," Fong said with a smile.

"This isn't something you want to see!" Amaya insisted angrily as the soldiers surrounding her raised rounded slabs from the ground. Two rotated and kicked theirs, sending them rolling towards her dangerously. Amaya danced around them and jumped to avoid the next one flying like a Frisbee. Her body was parallel to the ground and she felt another slab fly overhead, so close that it grazed her shoulder.

"I'm not your enemy, what are you doing?" Amaya shouted. "I won't fight you!"

Four slabs rolled towards her from four directions. She jumped over the top and landed on the ground. Another slab knocked one of the four out of the way and two more snapped on her like a closing book. She barely managed to cram herself in the center before she was sent rolling. She felt vaguely dizzy and then the stone around her shattered, sending her flying back.

She jumped over a ring sliding across the ground and dove through the hole as two more discs closed in in an attempt to crush her. She quickly formed an air scooter and hopped on, bouncing off of walls that were raised in an attempt to slow her down. She rolled up a wall, slowly shrinking the size of the swirling ball of air as she neared the top and taking a long step. Two spears suddenly sliced in front of her and she cursed herself for not remembering that ostrich horses could jump to incredible heights.

Amaya pushed off the wall in a back flip. The ostrich horses landed on either side of her and she rolled under their blow. It was sheer bad luck that she landed in the middle of one of those rings. It rose out of the ground, catching her in the legs and pulling her towards Fong.

"You can't run forever!" he called to her.

"You can't fight forever!" she shot back. She jumped out of the ring and sprinted to avoid several more falling behind her. She took a hard left to avoid another rolling towards her.

Something slashed past her face and she saw Sokka's boomerang take the top off a soldier's spear. She glanced around and saw Katara send a stream of water towards Fong. He merely raised his arms and dirt rose up, turning the water to mud. Amaya jumped up onto the railing of the stairs above, seeking a momentary reprieve. This was an amazing method for working on one's agility, but she hated it with a passion!

"You may be able to avoid me, but she can't!"

Amaya looked up sharply to see Katara standing in the middle of the courtyard, a solid wall of rings in a V around her, Fong standing there blocking the opening. The ground under Katara suddenly spun her around, yanking her down up to her knees.

"I can't move!" she called, bracing her hands on the stone in front of her and trying to pull out.

"Katara!" Amaya and Sokka both yelled. Amaya sent a two-handed jet of air towards the General, but he merely raised a defensive wall. Sokka came charging towards him, but his ostrich horse got caught in the ground as well, sending him flying. He dangled from a hole of one of the rings.

"Stop hurting them!" Amaya screamed, running to the General's side as Katara was submerged up to her hips.

"You could save them it you were in the Avatar State!" Fong shouted in her face.

"Amaya, I'm sinking!" Katara was up to her shoulders.

"Stop this!"

Her head.

"Please!"

"You don't have to go this far."

"Apparently I do."

Gone.

Amaya lunged for the spot Katara had been, but she was already gone. Rage filled her. This man, this man had _dared_ to kill her sister in all but blood just to trigger the State. Well congratulations. He had it. Amaya, for the first time, willingly opened herself up to the rage and reached for the power resting deep inside her.

She glowed.

"It worked!" Fong rejoiced.

"It worked," Amaya intoned, standing up and facing him, a snarl etched on her face. "You're red," she growled.

Amaya saw the world in different shades. All around her was a mess of green, green shapes that had done wrong, but who were not bad. There was Sokka's shape, a bright, angry blue. And there was Fong, a sickly green edged in flaming red.

She sent a wave of air at him, blasting him back. Sand rose beneath her, raising her up into the sky in a cyclone of dirt and earth.

"Avatar Amaya, can you hear me? Your friend is safe!" Fong yelled to her. Katara shot out of the ground and collapsed next to him, panting. "It was just a trick to trigger the Avatar State. And it worked!"

Amaya came down hard, a shockwave spreading, blasting soldiers off their feet, wrecking buildings, cracking the wall, throwing the paved stones up at wild angles.

And then suddenly she was flying away, staring at her glowing body on the ground. She was in her spirit form, and there was something hard and scaly under her. It was Fang, Roku's dragon, and perched in front of her was Roku himself.

"Roku," she whimpered, pressing her face into the back of his robe. "I hate this."

"It's time you learned," Roku said tenderly as he coaxed Fang up into the clouds. Amaya looked about with wide eyes. All around them were clouds painted golden with sunset, and perched on these clouds were people. Men women, water, fire, earth air.

"The Avatar State is a defensive mechanism that imbues with the strength and wisdom of all your past lives," Roku said. "The glow is a combination of all the Avatars who came before focusing their energy through your body. In the Avatar State you are in your most powerful, but you are also at your most vulnerable."

"What do you mean?" Amaya asked, confused. "How so?"

"If you are killed in the Avatar State," Roku said and suddenly Fang was gone and Roku was standing in front of her at the head of a long line of Avatar's past. The line faded and vanished as Roku said, "the reincarnation cycle will be broken, and the Avatar will cease to exist."

Amaya was back on Fang again, Roku bringing him down, and she was sucked into her body again. She felt the rage ebb as she finally registered that Katara was okay. The strength left her and she hit the ground, weakened by the strain of the Avatar State. Katara came running towards her, pulling her against her chest.

"I'm sorry, Katara," she apologized. "I hope you never have to see me like that again. I know you hate it as much as I do."

"Hah, are you kidding?" Fong said, coming over gleefully. "That was almost perfect! We just have to figure out a way to control you when you're like that. But we can work that out on the way to the Fire Nation-"

Sokka rode up behind him and knocked him out with his boomerang.

"Anybody have a problem with that?" he demanded.

The soldiers all shook their heads. Two came forwards nervously.

"Do you… still need an escort to Omashu?" one asked.

"No," Katara grinned. "I think we've got it."

Momo landed on Amaya's soldier as they climbed onto Appa and flew away in the direction of Omashu.

That night, Amaya had the strangest dream. It was only a glimpse, but it was a clear stream of rushing water. There were two bundles of hair floating down the river. One was a grey topknot, the other was a long black ponytail bound in red.

Amaya wondered what had forced Zuko and Iroh to cut away their royal topknots.


	2. Sokka's Underwear is Hippie Approved

"Are you two going to play with magic water all day or are we going to Omashu at some point?" Sokka asked as he drifted lazily on a large leaf. He had stripped down to his underwear, Amaya and Katara in a breast bindings and an underskirt each as they took Waterbending stances.

"Hark who's talking, Mr. Barely Dressed," Katara said drily.

"I can be ready in two minutes!" Sokka said, absently flicking a piece of hair out of his face. "Seriously, whenever you two are done."

Amaya snickered. This was the first time she'd seen Sokka's hair out of its standard ponytail, and she'd be the first to say he looked pretty darn funny.

"Alright, back to the octopus," Katara instructed. "Take a stance!"

Amaya did as instructed, making sure to tuck her arms in and protect her center. This was the problem she struggled with most with other bending disciplines. She mostly had used wide, circling tactics with her arms and legs spread, but now she had to break that habit slowly but surely.

"Alright," Katara said, and an icicle shot towards Amaya. She raised her arms and limbs protruded from the water around her, looking very octopus-like indeed. One tentacle snatched the weapon. As Katara fired more, Amaya let them be absorbed into the tentacles, lengthening them and sneakily pushing one through the water to wrap around Katara's leg. She looked down when she realized she was caught.

"You make a fine octopus, pupil Amaya," she said teasingly as Amaya let the water fall.

"I wish I could teach you Airbending," Amaya sighed. "That would be fun."

"No thanks," Katara said, holding up her hands. "You use your legs far too much for my taste."

"Plus, all that spinning!" Sokka shouted.

"_Don't fall in love with the traveling girl, she'll leave you broken, broken hearted."_

"Oh dear god hippies," Amaya buttered, slamming a hand to her face.

"You don't like them?" Katara whispered. Amaya shook her head.

"They give traveling monks a bad name. Everyone thinks they're the same thing."

"Hey!" said one of the travelers with a strange bright headdress. "River people."

"We're not river people," Katara blinked.

"You're not! Then what kind of people are you?" he asked suspiciously.

"The _people_ kind of people," Amaya said slowly.

"Aren't we all, sister?" he said grandly.

"Who are you?" Sokka demanded, stomping over.

"I'm Chong, this is my wife Lily," he said, gesturing to one of four people behind him. "We're nomads, happy to go wherever the wind takes us." He played a few notes on his stringed instrument.

"So am I, technically," Amaya muttered.

"Whoa, no way! Us too!" Chong grinned.

"I… know," Amaya said slowly. "You... sort of just… told us that."

"Oh. Nice underwear, brother!"

Sokka hastily covered himself at that statement and sidled away. Amaya didn't blame him.

However, they weren't so bad. Chong had several interesting stories to tell about places she had never been, or hadn't been back to in the past centuries. Lily was nice enough to brush Appa and braid flowers into his hair. She wasn't quite sure how the male bison was taking this, but he seemed fine.

"Hey, Sokka, come here and listen to this!" Katara called as a freshly-dressed Sokka wandered back over to the group.

"I think they've been everywhere," Amaya said drily.

"No, not everywhere little arrowhead, but where we haven't been we've heard about though stories and songs."

"They want to take us to see a giant nightcrawler," Amaya said. "And my name's not arrowhead, it's Amaya."

"Or there's a giant waterfall with a never-ending rainbow!" one of the nomads laughed.

"Look, I hate to rain on everyone's parade, but since Katara's busy I guess I have to," Sokka said, and Katara scowled at him from where she and Amaya were also having flowers woven into their braids. There had been a moment of tenseness when the nomad girl doing the braiding had tried to take off Roku's gift and Amaya had panicked.

"We have to get to Omashu!" Sokka insisted. "That means no side trips, no giant worms, and definitely no rainbows. What are you guys, a bunch of girls?"

"Careful where you go next," Amaya said warningly as she leaned back against Appa, hair adorned with red wild roses.

"Look, all I'm saying is we need to get moving!"

"Whoa!" Chong laughed. "Sound like you've got a bad case of destination fever."

"You need to focus less on the where and more on the journey," Lily said. "It's all about the adventure."

"O. Ma. Shu!" Sokka insisted.

"Sokka has a point, we need to get to Omashu so Amaya can learn Earthbending from King Bumi."

"Whoa!" Chong said, once again breaking out his favorite word. "Sounds like you're going to Omashu!"

"Don't make me smack you," Amaya muttered.

"There's an old legend about a pass right through the mountains," Chong said.

"Is this real or a legend?" Katara asked suspiciously.

"Oh, it's a real legend all right!" Chong nodded. "And it's as old as Earthbending itself."

"_Two lovers forbidden from one another. A war divides their people and a mountain keeps them apart. They built a path to be together._ Yeah, I forget the next few verses, but then it _goes secret tunnel! Secret tunnel! Through the mountain! Secret tunnel! Secret, secret, secret, secret tunnel!"_

"Yeah, we'll just keep flying," Sokka said slowly. "We've dealt with the Fire Nation before."

"Plus, Appa hates tunnels," Amaya added. "It's part of that whole _sky _bison thing he's got going on. And we need to do whatever makes Appa comfortable. He's large and in charge!" she grinned, rubbing him fondly.

* * *

They landed an hour later, distinctly singed and rumpled.

"Love cave," Sokka grumbled. "Let's go."

"Here we come," Amaya added irritably, putting out a smoking patch of her cape.

* * *

"So how far is it to this tunnel anyway?" Sokka asked.

"Actually," Chong grinned. "It's not just a tunnel, it's a whole labyrinth! The lover's didn't want anyone to find out about their love, so they built a whole series of tunnels."

"Labyrinth!" Sokka shouted angrily.

"No worries," Lily said. "Just trust in love."

"Unless love has a map, I think we'll be working with what we know," Amaya sighed. "Kyoshi, help us."

"Hey, there it is!" Chong said, pointing to a large opening in front of them. "At least we don't have to worry about the curse!"

"Curse?" Sokka wailed. "What curse?"

"That only those who trust in love can find their way through," Chong explained. "Otherwise, you'll be lost forever."

"And die!" Lily added chirpily.

"Oh yeah, and die," Chong grinned. "Hey I just remembered the rest of that song. _And die!"_

"That's it; I am not wandering around a cursed hole trusting love until we make it out!" Sokka said.

"Hey look, someone's making a campfire!" Moku grinned, pointing to a column of smoke behind them.

"Yeah, no," Amaya said, shaking her head grimly. "That's the Fire Nation. They're tracking us." She turned to Chong. "So all we've got to do is trust in love?"

"That is correct, mistress arrowhead."

"Don't call me that!" Amaya muttered. "Mistress is worse than little, it's just creepy. Fine, we'll go in. We can make it."

A scarred face flashed across her mind.

"Alright, into the cursed hole everybody!" Sokka called. They all filed in. It took some finagling to get Appa to follow them, but he finally obeyed.

Then the rumbling started.

The sound of rocks crashing and breaking, following by a loud, echoing rumble. The light from outside was suddenly cut off and they were left in near darkness, the only light from the torch perched on Chong's instrument.

Appa immediately began to panic, growling piteously and rubbing his front feet at the new pile of rubble closing the mouth of the cave.

"Appa, calm down," Katara said, placing a soothing hand on his shoulder. "We'll get out of here." Appa lowered himself to the floor. "I hope."

"We need a plan," Sokka said. "Hey Chong, how long do those torches last?"

"Eh, about two hours?" he shrugged.

"And we have five of them!" Lily grinned, sweeping all of them across the ground and lighting them. "That's ten hours!"

"Not if you light them all at once," Sokka exclaimed, yanking the torches away and putting them out hastily.

"We're all gonna die," Amaya said matter-of-factly.

"I'm going to make a map," Sokka said, climbing onto Appa's saddle and pulling a piece of paper and a stick of charcoal free. "Then we know where we've been and we can solve it like a maze."

They all set off down the tunnel, careful to keep everyone in the circle of light cast by Chong's torch. Appa still seemed nervous, so Amaya took her usual perch on his head, cooing softly and rubbing him as they walked. Sokka was in the lead, eyes darting from the cave ahead of him to the map in his hands repeatedly until Amaya vaguely began to wonder if he was dizzy.

* * *

"This doesn't make sense!" Sokka raged at the blank wall in front of him.

"This is the tenth time you're led us to a dead end," Katara said. "Clearly, the map's not working."

"All you need to do is trust love!" Chong grinned. "Little arrowhead gets it."

"Amaya does vaguely understand the concept. But I'd still be great with a map."

"There's only one explanation," Sokka said grimly. "The tunnels are changing."

The rumbling began again.

"I think you made them angry," Chong said. "The curse! Oh, the tunnels are a'changing! I knew we shouldn't have come down here!"

"Right," Sokka deadpanned. "If only we listened to you."

"Everybody stop!" Katara said suddenly. "Quiet, and listen!"

They listened. A rough snarling sound could be heard, coming froma tunnel to their left. Cautiously, Sokka stepped forwards. Red eyes blinked into being and then rushed towards into the torchlight, heading for Amaya, who dived to the side.

"Ah, big flying thing with teeth!" Chong yelled, cowering on the ground.

"Wolfbat!" Amaya yelled, familiar with the creature from her zoology lessons back with the monks. Sokka started waving the torch around as the animal attacked him. "No, Sokka, stop! That'll only make it angry!"

The wolfbat let out a high-pitched screech and snatched the torch from Sokka's hands, flinging it to the ground. It rolled and the lighted end brushed Appa's foot, singing hair and scorching skin. Appa roared and started rampaging, running head-first into walls, blinded by pain and the screeching of the wolfbat as it flew back off into the night. The walls began to crack, heavy stones dropping from lethal heights, a wave of them headed straight for Sokka and the travelers. Amaya acted fast, exhaling hard and blowing them back against the opposite side of the cavern wall.

"Amaya!"

She turned to see Katara staring at the ceiling in horror, rocks rushing towards her. Amaya thrust her fists at the ground, a burst of air carrying her along quickly. She slammed into Katara and the two of them hit the ground, a torch burning beside them, rocks falling behind them. Appa was in front of them, pressed up against the wall and shaking.

"Oh, this is bad," Amaya said as she looked up to see their path to the others completely blocked by a dense wall of dirt and crushed rock.

"We'll stop and rest a minute and let Appa calm down," Katara said, panting from the rush of adrenaline. "Then we'll think of a plan."

"Sounds like one right there," Amaya said, slumping against the new wall. It was surprisingly comfy, barring a rock poking into her back. She drifted off quickly.

_Zuko sat on a porch wearing Earth Kingdom clothes. His hair was cut short, just as she'd suspected, and there was a pretty girl next to him._

"_The Fire Nation's hurt you," the girl said, reaching out tenderly for his scar. Zuko grabbed her outstretched arm and she withdrew it sorrowfully. "It's okay, they hurt me too." She reached down and rolled up her pants leg, and Zuko's eyes were wide, suddenly filled with pity and understanding. Amaya winced. She knew the girl deserved pity, but it still hurt to see Zuko giving it to her, though she didn't know why. She was fairly certain if it was Sokka there she wouldn't have a problem._

* * *

Zuko felt strange sitting next to the girl, Song. He supposed it could be considered a sort of romantic moment, with the night sky and the fireflies, and her revealing her scars. But for him it didn't seem that way, more a fleeting moment of aid on her part.

He kept thinking of the times Amaya had helped him, had touched his scar. It was strange, he hadn't thought about it until now, but she was the only person besides himself and the doctors who had ever touched it. She was certainly the only person who had ever kissed it.

And she hadn't just kissed his scar, but him too. He remembered the expression on her face right before that moment vividly. He had never seen anyone look at him that way, even before the scar. Like he was a truly amazing person, and _she_ was humbled to be in his presence. It made him feel sort of... warm, and wanted. The closest thing to the feeling he could remember was when his mother used to hold him when they fed the turtle ducks.

He couldn't understand why she would look at him like that. He was the banished prince of the Fire Nation, who hunted her down, who's father wanted her captured, second best always. Yet she had stared at him as if he were the Avatar, the great prize.

And then she kissed him.

He hated to admit it, but he had felt something in his chest twinge when she had done that. It wasn't right for him to feel anything positive for her, but against his will, he did. He cared what happened to her, and maybe that was part of the reason he had become the Blue Spirit and saved her. With the Avatar in his grasp, his father would have let him come home. But still, he had gone, because it was Zhao that had her, and that was unacceptable.

He admired her. There. He could admit it now. He admired the way she seemed to positively ooze life, no matter what she did. In fighting, in helping him. He particularly admired her fighting skills. His bread and butter when he was growing up was the desire to be a better fighter. She pushed him, made him work for any inch he gained with her, and he relished the challenge she presented. There was also how well she took this. A hundred years of nothing, emerging into a world you barely knew at war, and she handled it as if it was nothing more than request to get something from the kitchen.

The flower that blooms in adversity is the rarest and most beautiful of them all.

Zuko blinked. Where had that though come from?

* * *

"Amaya, wake up!" Katara said, shaking her. Amaya sat up, rubbing her eyes. "You were mumbling in your sleep."

"What was I saying?" Amaya asked, praying it wasn't too embarrassing.

"We did it, we found the exit!" Katara grinned, running for the round portal edged in delicately engraved stone. She pushed on it, but it didn't budge. Appa lumbered forth, easily seeking the fresh air outside. He grunted and pawed at the ground, lowering his head.

"Hit the deck!" Amaya yelled and she and Katara split, pressing against opposite walls as Appa charged the door. It creaked and then the stone circle fell inside, rolling away. Katara hopped through eagerly, but the torchlight only illuminated more cave.

"This isn't the way out," she said sadly.

"No," Amaya said grimly. "It's not. It's worse. It's a tomb."

She recognized the vague shape the torchlight caught as that of a relief carving on the top of a coffin, a likeness of the person inside, or rather, what they had once looked like. If she was right…

She slowly descended down the stairs and walked to the raised dais where the two sarcophagi rested.

"This is the tomb of the two lovers," Amaya said sadly. "This must be where they were buried."

"Look," Katara said, holding the flame to the edge of the plinth. Pictures were carved into the side, worked into a story. "These pictures. They tell the story of the two lovers. They met on top of the mountain that divided them, but their villages were enemies, so they could not be together. But their love was strong, and they learned a way. The two lovers learned Earthbending from the badgermoles. They became the first Earthbenders. They built elaborate tunnels so that they could meet secretly. Anyone who tried to follow them would be lost forever.

"But one day the man didn't come. He died in the war between their two villages. Devastated, the woman released a terrible display of her Earthbending power. She could have killed them all. But instead she declared the war over. The villagers helped her build a new city where they would all live in peace. The woman's name was Oma, the man's name was Shu. The city was named Omashu, as a monument to their love."

"I had no idea," Amaya said softly. "That that's how Omashu and Earthbending came to be."

"Love is brightest in the dark," Katara said. Amaya turned curiously and saw what she was looking at. A massive carving of the two kissing, the words Katara had recited etched between them. Smiling, Amaya dug into her pocket and pulled out her notebook, flipping to a page she remembered well.

"The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all."

"What?" Katara asked. "Where did you hear that?"

"Monk Gyatso," Amaya smiled softly, remembering the old man. "My favorite time of year at the Southern Temple was spring, when all the trees would bloom, and there would be petals everywhere, like something out of a painting. But one year when I was very young, we had an especially harsh winter that killed all the buds. I was so disappointed I started crying. Gyatso picked me up and took me to a tree in the courtyard and pointed to a little pink bud that was just starting to open. 'Look there,' he said. 'Not all the flowers are gone. And the flower that blooms in adversity is the rarest and most beautiful of all. Remember that.' So I remembered."

"That's sort of inspiring," Katara said. "I guess it means, no matter what bad things happen now, something amazing will come of it."

"Hn," Amaya nodded. "Come on. Let's let the two lovers rest in peace. We still have to find Sokka and the others."

"But... how though?" Katara asked.

"That I don't know."

"I have an idea," Katara said slowly. "But it's crazy."

"What is it?" Amaya asked. "We'll go with that and call it last-resort for now."

"Well," Katara said slowly. "Trust in love and you'll get out. Love is brightest in the dark. And there's a picture of them kissing…"

It clicked. "I'm not kissing you. I love you Katara, but not like that."

"No, ew!" Katara said, wrinkling her nose. "I meant… what if we thought about someone we love?"

"You mean like you would think about Sokka?"

"I don't think familial love will work."

"But… I don't love anyone like that," Amaya said blinking.

"You sure?" Katara asked softly.

"Yeah, I think I'd know if I loved someone. Who will you think about? Haru?"

"I'll think about him and you can think about Zuko," Katara said, watching Amaya intently for her reaction. Amaya stiffened.

"And why would I think about him?" she asked in a monotone, picturing Koh in front of her. No emotion, no emotion at all.

"Amaya, I saw you… at the abbey. You handed him something and… you kissed his cheek. And then at the North Pole, you healed him, I know you did."

"I care about what happens to him," Amaya sighed. "He said something when he had me that time. I won't tell you what it is, but he hasn't had the easiest life. I just…" She rubbed her temples harshly. "I don't know! I'm so confused."

She was confused, she had been for days. She had been fairly successful at pushing thoughts of the prince from her mind, but Katara had just brought them out of hiding and pushed them at her, demanding she examine them.

_Do I love him?_

_No. No I don't. I don't feel that strongly for him. Yet. But I think I could very easily, given time. And I… I can only hope… he'll feel the same._

"Would you hate me if I said I could love him?" Amaya asked quietly.

Katara hesitated. "I… I can't say I'm ecstatic about the idea. But I can't tell you who you can and can't love. I suppose… I guess if you care about him that much, then… I could be okay with that."

"Thank you Katara."

"So I'll think about Zuko."

"And I'll think about Har- someone."

"You were totally going to say Haru."

"I was not!"

"I were so, and you know it."

"No I wasn't!"

"Uh huh, sure."

"I really wasn't."

As they stood there and argued, their torched burned tower and lower until they were left in near-darkness.

"You ready?" Amaya asked when she realized what had happened.

"Ready."

Amaya closed her eyes and thought hard. Zuko. Determined, good-hearted, confused. And beautiful, with the most amazing eyes… and he had very soft lips, if she remembered correctly. They made her feel sort of tingly and warm inside. She grinned and wrapped her arms around herself, remembering the sensation.

"It worked!"

Amaya jerked in surprise and opened her eyes.

"Okay, that's very awesome," she grinned. She looked up and saw a trail of some sort of luminescent crystals along the ceiling. "I've never seen any kind of crystal like that."

"That's how the two lovers found each other!" Katara realized. "The crystals only glow in the dark! They just put out their lights and followed them."

"Hold on," Amaya said. She twirled herself into a tornado and rose up, examining the crystals as the wind rushed around her waist. Reaching out carefully, she placed a hand on the ceiling and gripped a crystal, pulling hard. It cracked and pulled free. She repeated the process and dropped back to the ground. She tossed one piece to Katara.

"To give to Haru if you see him again," she grinned. "Tell him how he saved your rear end."

"I wasn't thinking about Haru!" Katara protested. "And besides, love had nothing to do with it! The torch went out and so we could see the crystals!"

"Believe what you want to believe," Amaya grinned wickedly. "Just remember, denial isn't good."

"I wasn't the one standing there with a stupid look on my face," Katara said with a triumphant look.

"What do you mean?" Amaya said suspiciously. Katara wrapped her arms around her waist like Amaya had earlier, closed her eyes, and plastered a wistful, love-sick look on her face before opening her eyes and laughing at Amaya's expression.

"Oh did I really look like that?"

"Yep."

"Kill me. Just kill me now."

"How about I wait until we get out of here?" Katara grinned, pointing to the trail of crystals. "Come on."

The two girls walked down the tunnel, following the glowing crystals.

"So, Zuko," Katara said suddenly. Amaya groaned.

"I beg of you, let it go."

"I just don't get it. What do you like about scarface?"

"I don't know, to be honest," Amaya sighed. "He can be good at times. I… I never told you this, but when I went to get those frogs, I was captured by the Fire Nation."

"What?" Katara demanded. "And I'm just now finding out about this why?"

"Because it was Zuko that saved me."

Katara blinked. "Excuse me?"

"You heard. He came in wearing a Blue Spirit mask and we worked together to get out. It went amazingly, until these freakishly accurate archers knocked him out as we were leaving. I had no idea who he was until I reached down and pulled off the mask. I was all set to leave him there, then I remembered. No more leaving anyone behind, no matter how they feel about me. So I got him away."

"Prince Zuko, savior," Katara mused. "Kind of a strange thought."

"Not to me," Amaya grinned. "That was what that kiss was at the abbey, a thank you. And he's got these _eyes._"

"You have _such_ a big crush on him."

"Heh, I heard you mumbling about Haru's eyes the other night when you were asleep. Don't talk to me about crushes, Katara."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Katara said loftily.

"Look!" Amaya said, pointing to a hole in front of them. Daylight filtered through. Appa ran ahead of him and they followed happily. Appa reared up before falling onto his back in relief.

"Aw, Appa," Amaya giggled, running over and rubbing his belly. "Who was a brave sky bison, who's a brave bison?"

More rumbling issued from behind them. Amaya groaned.

"I can't take another cave-in, I swear!"

Sokka burst from the wall atop a huge animal, another beside him carrying the nomads.

"Badgermole," Amaya blinked.

"Hey, Sokka!" Katara said, waving.

"Katara!" Sokka called, jumping off and running over to them. "How'd you guys get out?"

Katara and Amaya looked at each other and smiled slightly. Like they were going to tell him their plan.

"We did what the legend said and let love lead the way," Amaya grinned.

"Really?" he blinked. "We let huge, ferocious beasts lead our way."

"That works too," Amaya nodded.

* * *

"Well, the journey was long, filled with peril, and really, really annoying," Sokka grinned as they hiked up a familiar mountain they had climbed on their first trip to the city. "But I present to you the Earth Kingdom city of O-"

Amaya froze, her eyes locked on the huge Fire Nation banister and the smoke rising from key points of the city. She felt like she couldn't breathe, and her eyes filled with tears.

"Bumi," she whimpered. "No…"


	3. In Which Momo Masters Jings

"Omashu," Amaya said softly. "I think it was because of Bumi, but Omashu always seemed like the war wouldn't touch it."

"Up until now, it couldn't," Sokka said. "Now Ba Seng Se is the only great Earth Kingdom city left."

"We have to move on," Katara said grimly.

Purpose well up inside Amaya and she moved for the city.

"Where are you going?" Sokka demanded.

"I'm going in," she said determinedly.

"But Amaya, I know you had your heart set on Bumi teaching you. It's just not possible now though."

"We don't even know if Bumi's still-" Sokka hesitated. Amaya turned to face him.

"Still alive?" she guessed, raising an eyebrow. "He is. Killing Bumi would start an uprising. I know that, and so does the Fire Nation. This soon into their hold on the city they can't risk that. No, Bumi's still alive somewhere in there, and I'm getting him out. He's the only friend I have left from then," she said softly. "This isn't about finding an Earthbending teacher. Right now, I don't care if I _ever_ learn that. But I will get my friend out of there."

"Okay," Katara nodded. "Then we're with you."

"Good," Amaya nodded. "We'll fly Appa down to the secret tunnel."

"Why didn't we use this secret tunnel last time?" Sokka demanded when they arrived on the small ledge in the canyon around the city. Amaya grunted, the tip of her glider wedged against the cover. She strained.

"Because… secret tunnel implies it's… regularly used for sneaking. This is… more for… got it!"

The lid burst free and a wave of green, reeking mush rolled out, gathering around Sokka and Katara's feet.

"Sewage," Amaya grinned as she swung into the tunnel. Katara followed her. Amaya stirred the air with her glider, throwing the sewage around her and leaving her free to walk without it squishing under her feet. Katara bent it out of her way as the two girls advanced easily up the tunnel. Sokka followed them, taking face-full after face-full of green sludge.

When they reached street level, Amaya cautiously raised the lid and peered out. She and Katara climbed out into the street.

"That wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be," Katara admitted.

"Rrrggg."

A staggering slime monster climbed out of the hole behind them, reaching for them with long arms and limp wrists. Katara pulled water from a nearby bucket and drenched Sokka, washing all the green gunk off. Amaya treated him to an extra-powerful blow dry.

When he was clean several cephalopods were revealed stuck to his face. Sokka screamed, tugging at them frantically.

"They won't come off!" he yelled, staggering around. Amaya reached forwards and grabbed him before he could trip over a pile of boxes.

"Shh, you'll scare them," Amaya rebuked. She grabbed one and gently stroked its head with a finger. It pulled its suckers loose and closed its eyes, humming contentedly. Amaya brought it close to her face and cuddled it. "A purple pentapus. I love these little guys, they're so cute."

"Just get them off!" Sokka shouted.

"Oh, alright," Amaya said irritably, stroking the other two on his face and peeling them off.

"Hey!"

"Drat," Amaya cursed, ducking behind Katara and pulling her shawl up over her face to cover her arrow.

"What are you three kids doing out after curfew?" demanded the Fire Nation soldier.

"We're sorry sir," Katara said. "We just got a bit lost. We're going home now."

They turned and began walking away quickly, hoping they wouldn't be stopped.

"Stop!"

"Double drat."

"What's wrong with him?"

Katara looked at Sokka, confused, and then spotted the red marks left on his skin from the pentapus.

"Oh, er," she said, casting around for an idea. "He… has pentapox, sir!" The soldier stepped closer, eying Sokka suspiciously. "Don't get too close!" she warned. "It's highly contagious."

Sokka looked from Amaya to Katara before staring up at the soldier with a hangdog expression on his face. "Oh, it's so awful, I'm dying!" he groaned, arms reaching as he staggered towards the hastily-retreating soldier.

"Hey, I think of heard of that!" one soldier said. "Didn't your cousin Chang die of it?"

"We'd better go wash our hands. And burn our clothes!"

Sokka let out a few coughs for good measure as the soldiers ran away.

"Sewer fauna," Amaya grinned, rubbing one of the pentapuses. "Gotta love them."

"Kinda gross, but handy!" Sokka nodded approvingly.

They crept through the streets, ducking for cover and diving from shadow to shadow to avoid detection. There was a close call once when they barely managed to dive behind a pile of boards before being spotted by a pair of sentries.

"We need to hurry up and find Bumi so we can get out of here," Katara said.

"Where would they be holding him?" Sokka mused.

"If he could Earthbend they wouldn't be able to hold him," Amaya reasoned. "Bumi's one of the best Earthbenders that ever lived, and I'm including past me's in this. It has to be someplace made of metal."

They took off, creeping along a ledge towards the mail chute, intending to use it for cover. A rolling sound slowly increased in volume and Amaya looked up to see a series of large stones rolling down the chute. But why…?

Eyes widening in understanding, she glanced further along the track and saw a teenage girl and a mother holding her baby. An attack!

"Hey idiots!" she called, drawing the attention of both the woman's party and the would-be attackers. "there are women and babies present. What the heck?" She swiped with her glider and blasted the rocks to rubble with a wall of air.

"The resistance!"

She paused to look over her shoulder and saw the woman's escort in greater detail as more torches flared.

"Fire Nation women and babies," Amaya said, voice echoing in the night. "Eh heh, gotta go!" She turned to run, followed by Sokka and Katara, and stopped when a searing pain bit into her shoulder. She screamed in pain and reached around, fingers brushing cold metal. Gritting her teeth, she yanked hard and pulled out a small stiletto gleaming with her own red blood.

Soldiers were coming after them followed by, the teenage noble woman, who turned out to be the one who had thrown the knife. Amaya growled angrily. She saved the girl's life and was repaid by being stabbed? What was wrong with her?

"Katara, the soldiers," Amaya ordered. "I want Miss Noble."

Katara quickly dispatched the soldiers with a water whip and Amaya squared off against the girl as she came towards her with her arms trailing. She extended her arm and a series of small arrows shot from inside her sleeve. Amaya batted them aside easily with a wide kick and a wave of air.

"So gratefulness isn't really in your repertoire?"

"You're the Avatar," the girl said in an expressionless monotone. "Why would you save Fare Nation nobles? This is a trick."

"Hn, and here I was thinking that maybe here was me just seeing a family that needs help," Amaya snorted. "Here's something you people don't seem able to grasp. I don't hate the Fire Nation. Never did. It's Ozai I have a problem with. He's the only one I want gone, and even him I don't want dead. So if you don't mind, just be glad I saved you from getting crushed and go on about your day."

"I can't do that," the girl said.

"Don't really have a choice in the matter," Amaya grinned as the ground dropped out from under her and then closed over her head. She hit the ground hard, a little ways down a tunnel from Katara and Sokka. Grim soldiers waited for them, pulling them upright and leading them down a tunnel.

"I apologize for the rough landing, Avatar," said a man with a wide-brimmed Earth Kingdom soldier's hat. "We were only thinking of your safety. The governor's daughter, Mai, is quite deadly with her knives and arrows."

Amaya winced as her shoulder throbbed. "I'm aware," she winced.

"Amaya, you're hit!" Katara yelled when she noticed, immediately she was being crushed by concerned soldiers and friends.

"I'm fine!" Amaya had to shout to be heard over the concerns. "I'll bandage it later. I just want to know… what's this?" she asked as they stepped onto a balcony overlooking a room filled with Omashu soldiers and commoners.

"This is the rebellion," said the first man. He had a beard almost as impressive as Fong's. What was it with Earth Kingdom officers and facial hair Amaya wondered vaguely.

"So is Bumi here?" she asked eagerly. "Is he leading you?"

"Of course not!" the man snapped with surprising venom. Amaya took a step back. The last time she was here, Bumi was well-loved. "The day of the invasion came. The Fire Nation was at our gates. We were all prepared to fight for our lives and our freedom. But before we could even try, King Bumi gave the order to surrender."

Amaya blinked, surprised. Bumi wasn't one to give up without a fight. But if he had done that, he knew something. "Well, I'm sure he had his reasons."

"He looked me dead in eye and said 'I'm going to do… nothing. To stand and fight is our only option now."

"No it isn't," Amaya said, shaking her head. 'I know how hard it is to leave your homeland, but you have to. You're ready and willing to fight, but you're outnumbered. What you need to do is retreat and live to fight another day."

"No! The only option is to fight for our freedom!"

"I don't know Yang," said another soldier. "Living to fight another day is starting to sound pretty good."

"I'm with the girl!"

"It does sound pretty good."

"Do you think we could?"

"Fine," Yang submitted. "But even if we could, we have thousands of citizens who need to get out. How are we supposed to free them all?"

"Suckers!"

Amaya sighed. "Alright Sokka, what hallucinogen did you eat now?"

"No, hear me out!" Sokka insisted. "You're all about to come down with a nasty case of pentapox."

Amaya grinned at him. "Sokka, if I ever say you're an idiot again, you have my permission to smack me."

"Thank you!" Sokka yelled. "See, someone appreciates me!"

"You're wonderful," Katara said drily.

It was without a doubt the strangest assembly line Amaya had ever been a part of. First were the people with rags wrapped around their faces to keep out the smell as they wandered around the sewers looking for pentapi. Then there were those running back and forth carrying buckets of the little creatures to stations where people slapped them on. Other went around and stroked the pentapi, pulling them off after a while. Katara was helping fish for pentapi, and Sokka was out in the courtyard leading a class on acting sick.

"See, the marks make you look sick," he explained. "But you have to really sell it, or they won't believe!"

"Oooh!" moaned an old man, hobbling through the courtyard with a cane, one hand pressed to his back. "Oooh!"

"See!" Sokka grinned, pointing at him happily. "That guys gets it! Everybody, follow his lead!"

"Years of practice!" the old man said with a cheeky grin, thumping his cane against a wooden leg.

"Alright everybody!" Sokka yelled. "Into sick formation!"

The crowd shuffled off, Sokka following. Katara hung back when she saw Amaya hadn't moved.

"Aren't you coming?" she asked.

"We haven't found Bumi yet," Amaya said, shaking her head. "I'm not leaving here until I do." Momo took that moment to scramble up her arm and onto her shoulder, tugging at the corner of her mouth. Amaya winced and pulled him free. "Sorry buddy, I'll have to feed you later. Go with Katara."

Momo chattered and ran across to Katara, taking up his post on her shoulder instead while jumped into the air, leaping from rooftop to rooftop in search of some clue to Bumi's whereabouts.

* * *

Crowds are usually uncomfortable at the best of times. So are sick people. A group of people making sounds in unison is always unsettling. A large mass coming towards you is downright scary. When blended together, you have a nice, healthy cocktail of nervous emotions, and that's exactly what the Fire Nation soldiers were exposed to when the citizens of Omashu hit the streets, groaning and wailing and rolling through the street in an unbreakable wave.

"Plague! Plague!"

The gong ringing over the city added to the din of groans and shouts and fearful cries. All in all, it was a confusing mess of chaos and noise.

* * *

"Drive them out!"

Amaya smiled when she heard the man on the balcony shout. So that was his family, the same family she had rescued earlier. She ignored them and slipped through an alleyway, jumping and skittering along a rail before hopping up onto the roof. The slipped from roof to roof, keeping in the shadows as much as she could.

Eventually, she heard the sound of panting and grinding gears. Curious, Amaya slunk forwards along the rooftop on her belly and peered over the edge. In a large, sunken pit below, Flopsy was chained and being forced to push a wheel that kept water running through the city. Amaya scowled, angry that fire Nation was using the sweet gorilla goat for this. She knew Bumi would be distraught too; he absolutely adored Flopsy. When they were younger, he had always wanted a gorilla goat, she recalled.

"Flopsy!" she yelled when she dropped into the pit. Flopsy turned, sniffing the air. He recognized her and bounded over, but he thick metal collar around his neck kept him from getting much closer. Amaya glared at it, walking over and pulling water from below through a grate. She wrapped it around the padlock holding Flopsy in place and froze it, before shattering the whole thing with a blast of air. Flopsy's strong arms wrapped around her and lifted her up. The big animals nuzzled his face into her stomach and Amaya giggled, rubbing his head briskly.

"Flopsy," she said affectionately. "Come on, down boy."

Flopsy placed her on the ground and bowed down to her level. Amaya jumped and landed on his back.

"Come on boy, we've got to find Bumi. Yip yip!" Flopsy licked his nose. "Oh, heh, right. Flopsy, not Appa. Let's go?" she tried, and Flopsy took off, racing through the streets.

* * *

Amaya trudged into camp that night, shoulders slumped and looking utterly defeated. Katara and Sokka ran over, excited when they saw Flopsy. But then they caught sight of Amaya's downcast expression and they knew she hadn't found her old friend.

"No luck?" Katara asked.

"We searched everywhere," Amaya said, shaking her head. "I just… I thought they wouldn't kill him, but… oh god, Bumi." She closed her eyes and pressed her hands against her face, shutting the world out as she tried to get a hold of herself. Bumi, the only friend from before she had left. She couldn't loose him, not now!

"We have a problem," Yang said, coming over to the sad little group.

"We've got several, but which one in particular were you talking about?" Amaya sighed.

"We just did a head count…"

"Oh no, did someone get left behind?" Katara asked anxiously.

"No," Yang said, shaking his head and pointing. "We have an extra."

Amaya's eyes widened as she saw Momo straining to drag the little boy clinging to him along. That wasn't what worried her though. What worried her was that she recognized the kid. She had seen him not to long ago, perched in his mother's arms.

"Oh no," Amaya groaned.

"What's wrong?" Sokka asked.

"We accidently kidnapped the governor's kid."

"Oh no," Sokka groaned.

Later on, they were all gathered around their fire after dinner. They all watched the baby cautiously as it toddled around, pulling at Momo's tail and clambering over Appa's feet. He wandered over to Sokka and grabbed at the cudgel lying on the ground. Sokka snatched it away from him.

"No!" he snapped. "Bad Fire Nation baby!"

The kid burst into tears.

"Sokka," Katara said, giving him one of her infamous death glares. She snatched the weapon back and handed it to the baby. He pulled it into his lap and ran his hands along it, laughing delightedly. Katara wrapped her hands around his waist and cooed, "Oh, you are so cute."

"Sure, he's cute now," Yang said darkly. "But when he's older he'll join the Fire Nation army. You won't think he's cute then. He'll be a killer."

Katara held the little boy up. "Does this look like the face of a killer to you?"

"Eh, small children have always sort of scared me," Amaya admitted. "They're sort of disproportionate, and they're always happy. It's creepy."

"You're a very strange girl," Sokka said, staring at her.

Amaya snorted. "Did you just now figure that out?"

A screech broke the relative peace of the camp as a bird fluttered down out of the air and landed on a nearby stone.

"A messenger hawk!" Yang realized. Amaya got up and walked over, pulling the scroll from the bird's leg.

"I've said it before and I'll say it again," she sighed. "Oh no."

"What's wrong Amaya?" Katara asked.

"The Fire Nation governor says hi. He thinks we took his kid. And…" she grinned. "He wants to trade him for Bumi."

* * *

"You get that this is almost certainly a trap," Sokka said as Amaya carried the little over to where he and Katara waited by Appa.

Amaya nodded. "Yup. Don't care. I want Bumi back, and we were going to get rid of this kid anyway. Might as well kill two birds with one stone. Besides," she wheedled. "You'll get to kick some Fire Nation fanny."

"That would be nice," Sokka admitted as they mounted Appa. They flew directly into Omashu. There was no point in trying to be sneaky, odds were the entire city knew they were coming. They landed at the construction site where they had first seen the governor's family. Amaya held Tom-Tom close, ignoring his wiggling as she stared ahead tensely, waiting for the drop to happen.

They didn't have long to wait. Mere minutes later, three girls appeared over the edge of the scaffolding. One was the noble girl, the governor's daughter. The other was clothed in pink with a long braid similar to Amaya's. To her left was a girl Amaya knew only from a vague glimpse in a dream. Azula, Zuko's younger sister.

"So, you're here," Amaya said, frowning at the one who had stabbed her. "I've got to say, I was expecting more than Zuko's little sister, pinky over there, and the Great Expressionless One."

She was ignored, although the princess seemed surprised she knew of her.

"Do you have my brother?" the girl asked.

"Oh yeah," Amaya nodded, gesturing to the kid in her arms. "I've got him."

Above them came the sound of a winch and Amaya looked up to see Bumi being lowered encased in a metal coffin with a hole for his face. He was giggling and snorting like always.

"Hi everybody!" he chirped. Amaya grinned up at him fondly. Bumi was fine, and she was about to get him back.

He landed behind the three girls and Azula turned to the noble girl.

"Mai, a thought just occurred to me."

"What is it, princess Azula?" asked the girl, Mai.

"We're trading a king for a two-year-old. A powerful Earthbending king."

"Good point," Mai agreed. She took a few steps forwards and proclaimed, "The deal's off!"

The winch creaked and once more Bumi was raised into the air.

"Bumi!" Amaya yelled, transferring the baby to Sokka's arms and running forwards. Azula came forwards to meet her, blue fire shooting for Amaya. She ignored the flames and leapt over them, much to Azula's shock, propelling herself off a support beam of a scaffolding and pulling her glider free, hopping on. Unfortunately, that was the moment when her shawl slipped won, yanked around too much by the movement. Amaya gasped as her blue arrow was revealed, and on the ground, Azula did the same.

There was no hope of keeping her secret now, so Amaya focused on getting Bumi free. She landed on top of his prison and said, "Don't worry Bumi, we're going to get you out of here."

"Amaya? Why are you here?" he asked. "Where did you come from?"

"Up, in general," Amaya grinned, before blowing hard on the chains. She was sending out blasts of frigid air, weakening the links of the chain.

"Amaya, stop your blowing for a minute!" Bumi called. Amaya looked up, confused as to what he wanted, and saw Azula jumping from the building out towards them. She brought her glider around and slammed it against the chain, shattering it. She and Bumi dropped, Bumi yelling. Amaya oriented herself on top of the coffin, keeping a wide stance to maintain her balance, and placed a swirling cushion of air below them. Their landing was still rough, but they were off down the mail chutes.

Amaya laughed freely. "Just like only times, eh Bumi?"

"Amaya, I need to talk to you!"

"I missed you too Bumi," Amaya said. "But it's not really the time."

She produced a tornado above them that grabbed and dissolved the fire blasts sent from Azula. She was travelling in one of the carts on a rail above them. Amaya shifted her weight easily as they turned slightly, then her eyes widened as she saw Azula was now coasting along behind them. She sent a jet of air towards her, but Azula divided it around her hands and sent of burst of fire in reply. Amaya ducked under it and turned her attention back to the chute. They were heading under a series of archways. She sent a blade of sharpened air through them, the wreckage strewn across the chute in a cloud of dust. Azula's cart went into the dust with her perched on top, and came out empty Amaya sighed in relief, then shouted in surprise when the Fire Princess vaulted up from the inside of the cart.

She was set to dodging and deflecting fire blasts as well as she could until Appa appeared beside their chute.

"Hold on Bumi!" she yelled. "Our ride's here!" She used her glider to pull them through the air into and arc. Katara and Sokka reached out the grab the, but Amaya overshot. They went sailing up and over Appa, crashing through a chute before landing back in front of Azula. Amaya worked fast to deflect the next whirling wheel of fire, and she saw Bumi straining inside his prison. A boulder kicked up in front of Azula's cart, shattering it and sending her flying into the air.

"Wait a minute, hold on!" Amaya shouted. "You can Earthbend? This whole time?"

"They didn't cover my face!" Bumi laughed. They slid off the chute and a rock appeared in front of them. Amaya jumped off and Bumi balanced on top.

"Alright, hold on!" she said to Bumi. "You could Earthbend, so why didn't you escape. You surrendered! Bumi, what is wrong with you?"

"Listen to me Amaya," Bumi said. "There are different types of Jing."

"I know!" Amaya said, throwing up her hands. She ticked off the kinds on her fingers. "There's positive Jing for when you're attack and negative Jing for when you're retreating."

"And neutral Jing!" Bumi grinned. "For when you do nothing at all."

"There are three Jings?" Amaya blinked.

"Well, technically there are eighty-five," Bumi said absently. "But let's just focus on the third! Neutral Jing is the key to Earthbending. It involves waiting and listening for the time to strike!"

"Oh, _that's_ why you surrendered!" Amaya realized.

"It's also why I can't leave now," Bumi said with surprising maturity. Amaya was hit once again by how much the world around her had changed. Here was Bumi being the mature, sensible adult, while she was still just a child.

"I guess I'll need another teacher," Amaya said sadly.

"You need someone who has mastered the neutral Jing," Bumi advised. "Your teacher will be someone who waits and listens."

"Hey Momo!" Amaya greeted as the little lemur slipped up onto her shoulder.

"Momo's mastered a few Jings himself!" Bumi grinned. "Until next time Amaya!"

He fell backwards and a rock began pushing him up the chute again while he giggled and snorted.

"Bumi, you mad genius!" Amaya praised, shaking her head.

"Come on Amaya, we've got to go!" Katara called from behind her on Appa.

"I'll be right there, I have one thing left to do!" Amaya called. She hopped to the saddle, grabbed the baby, and then jumped onto the rooftops again until she reached what was once Bumi's palace. The governor and his wife stood on the balcony holding each other close and looking sad. Amaya landed on the balcony below them and conjured a wave of air beneath her, raising herself up into their startled faces.

"I think this is yours," she said softly, handing the sleeping infant to his surprised mother, who snatched him away. "Don't worry he's not hurt. And… I'm sorry. We didn't mean for him to get caught up with us."

That said, Amaya dropped back to the balcony and crept back to where Katara and Sokka were waiting.

"Straighten out the kid situation, Amaya?" Katara asked.

"Yeah," Amaya nodded, taking Appa's reins. "Yip yip."


	4. In Which Sokka is Violent with the Fauna

Amaya blinked at the scene below her. Trees, yes, all interconnected by ropey vines. Water appeared periodically, flashing silver in the sunlight. It was pretty. She wondered if there was anyplace down there to land.

"-aya? Amaya!"

"What?" Amaya said, jerking out of her stupor. "Oh, hn, what Sokka?"

"Why are we going down?" Sokka asked.

"What?" Amaya said, blinking. She looked around and noticed the ground getting closer. "Oh, we're going down!"

"Yeah, I noticed," Sokka snorted. "Why?"

"Is something wrong?" Katara asked, leaning over the edge of the saddle.

"Okay, this will sound weird," Amaya said, glancing at the swamp below them. "But then again, we're sort of magnets for weird stuff. I think the swamp is calling to me."

"Calling to you, huh?" Sokka said. "Is it telling you where we can find some meat, because I'm starving!"

"I think we should land," Amaya said. She could explained it, the tug inside her, pulling her towards the silver water not so far below now. They were skimming the tops of the trees, and she had to restrain herself from coaxing Appa lower. "I'm pretty sure that's what the swamp wants."

"Well, no offense to the swamp," Sokka said. "But I don't see any land to land _on_."

"I think we should," Amaya insisted. "Bumi said to learn Earthbending I should wait and listen. Well, I've been waiting and listening, and now I hear the earth. Can I really ignore that?"

"Yes," Sokka said shortly.

"I don't know, that place does look pretty ominous," Katara said, glancing down at the swamp edgily.

"A spirit!" Amaya said, snapping upright. "Maybe it's a spirit that needs help! That would explain it!"

"I doubt it," Katara said. Appa groaned.

"See, even Appa and momo don't like it!" Sokka pointed out as if that decided everything.

"Okay, since everyone's so anti-swamp," Amaya grumbled, flicking the reins. "Yip yip." She sighed as they rose higher.

"Uh, Amaya?" Sokka said nervously.

"Hn?"

"You might want to throw in an extra yip. We've got to move!"

"What do you- Whoa!" Amaya turned and gaped at the tornado that seemed to follow them unerringly as she swerved. "That's a twister, that's a twister!" she said as she jerked wildly on the reins, trying to get Appa to circle back around them though. The tornado moved into their path though, and Sokka was lifted into the air. Katara grabbed him at the last second, but now she was in danger of taking off. Amaya jumped back into the saddle and thrust her arms out to side, encasing Appa in a giant sphere of whirling air, a maneuver she was getting quite used to doing. She winced, pressing her hands hard against nothing. They were safe in their bubble, but now they were being tossed about inside the cyclone. She hated working against forces of nature, it was always doubly hard, if not triply, when you were going against the world's will.

Amaya cried out as she lost her grip of the air and their protective layer vanished. They were yanked roughly apart and sent spinning in wild circles, flipping end of end in the merciless wind. They were thrown free and they plowed through the trees, skidding along through the muddy bottom of the swamp until they came to a stop, Amaya landing lightly on top of an exposed tree root. Sokka sat up and looked around, clutching his head.

"Appa!" she called, noticing immediately the lack of a giant bison. "Appa! Momo? Momo! I'm going up to look for them." She jumped from branch to branch and grabbed the trunk of the tree at the top, leaning out over the swamp to see as far as she could. She couldn't find a large patch of broken tree limbs, or see any signt hat Appa and Momo had landed at all. Below her, she could here Sokka and Katara talking.

"Sokka, you've got an elbow leech."

"Gah, _where?"_

"Where do you _think?"_

"Why. Do. Things. Keep. Attaching. To. Me?"

"Did you find them?" Katara asked as Amaya swung down on a vine.

"No," she said, shaking her head. "But there's something really fishy. That tornado… it's just gone."

"Well, we'd better start looking for them," Sokka said. He tugged at a curtain of vines blocking the way between two trees, but the plants held firm. He pulled out his machete instead. "Let's speed things along a little."

Amaya winced at the chopping sounds as the blade sliced through the vines. "Hey, Sokka? Maybe we can be a little less violent with the plants, huh?"

"What, you want me to say please and thank you when I slice them up?" Sokka scoffed. Katara looked around edgily.

"Amaya may be right Sokka. Something about this place feels almost… alive."

"Yes, I'm sure there are things in this swamp that are alive," Sokka said drily.

"Appa!" Katara called as they walked. "Momo!"

"Appa?" Amaya called. "Momo?"

As they walked, that feeling Amaya had persisted, that the swamp wanted her there, that it was sentient. Was that possible? Or was it a disturbed spirit.

Roku, I need your help here, she thought as she looked around edgily. Perhaps it was crazy, but she couldn't help but feel that this place was supernatural, that it was more than it appeared. That it was dangerous.

_Trust your instincts_, Roku's voice said in her ear and Amaya paused, eyes widening. Was it really that simple to access her spirit? She wasn't sure how she felt about hat. Did it mean the Avatar State was easier to trigger. That was something she really didn't want, especially after the fiasco with General Fong, and the dreams. Thankfully though, the dreams had slacked off, replaced by the normal sequences of randomness her dreams usually consisted of.

"It's no use," Sokka said as darkness fell. "Clearly, they can't hear us. And we can't see them." He swatted angrily at the bugs floating around his head, just like he'd been doing for the past three hours. The bugs really were a big problem, and Amaya was covered in bites, itching like mad.

Gloop.

"What was that?" Katara squeaked, edging away from the water's edge. Sokka rolled his eyes.

"It's just swamp gas," he sighed. "There's nothing supernatural about it."

Amaya felt her breakfast lead a revolt in her stomach as she smell of the gas reached her nose. She clamped it shut and muttered, "I don't know Sokka, that's powerful."

Screech! Screech!

Amaya, Katara, and Sokka clutched each other as the scream echoed off the trees around them.

"Was that a bird?" Amaya asked cautiously.

"One problem at a time," Sokka said, straightening. "We'll make camp for the night here and start a fire. The smoke should help keep the bugs away."

He walked over to a long-dead tree and gave it two sharp chops with his machete, a log falling away. Amaya winced with each chop and an unpleasant shudder seemed to move up her body from the ground through her feet and up.

"Sokka, I really don't think you should do that," she winced. "This swamp isn't normal, I know it."

"Its fine," Sokka said, waving a hand absently. "I asked the swamp, it said it was okay. Right swamp?" He seized a branch and shook it, putting on a squeaky voice as he said, "That's right Sokka! You're so smart!"

Amaya slowly raised an eyebrow, the corners of her mouth going down as Sokka was treated to one of her notorious 'you are this close to being smacked' looks.

Amaya had to admit though, Sokka had done it again. Once the fire was lit the bugs flying around them and bussing irritatingly all but vanished, the only remaining ones going after Sokka himself. She and Katara were squished as close to the fire as they dared, looking around edgily as Sokka fought it out with the bugs.

"Does anyone else feel like we're being watched?" Katara asked edgily.

"I'm sure the animals in the swamp have better things to do than stare at us all night," Sokka grumbled, grunting as he swung on a bug viciously with his blade. It continued its high-pitched whine, circling his head.

A ball of bright white light suddenly burst into being above their campsite, circling them once before moving out over the swamp. In its wake they could see dozens of pairs of glowing eyes watching them ominously from the deep black shadows of the trees. It was something right out of a horror story, kids camping alone, watched by unseen eyes from every direction.

"Maybe not," Sokka squeaked as they all pressed together anxiously. They stayed huddled back to back all night, trying to keep watch, but eventually they were lulled to sleep by the darkness and the sounds of the swamp around them.

* * *

_Amaya was familiar enough with these dreams now to know that they were the sort that featured Zuko. They had a comforting feel to them, no matter what was going on around her. She was sitting in the swamp, only it seemed considerably more well-lit than it had when they were walking today. A girlish giggle echoed and she saw a scrap of green cloth disappear around a tree. _

_Amaya rose, frowning curiously as she walked over to the tree and peered around the thick trunk. Farther away, at the top of a gently sloping embankment, a young girl stood, garbed in the clothes of an Earth Kingdom noble. Amaya caught of flash of abnormally blue eyes under black fringe before the girl stepped down the other side of the hill. Behind her followed a pig, a boar, with wings that snuffled as it moved downhill._

_Curious, Amaya ran up the side of the hill only to find herself looking over a deep chasm. The Great Divide. She remembered it, when she had made up the story about a ball game to settle two feuding clans. Come to think of it, the game honestly sounded fun, but this wasn't the time._

_That thought was reinforced when the ground gave way under her. Amaya fell for only a foot though before she hit a paneled wood floor. She was back on the scaffolding where she had intended to exchange the kid for Bumi. She saw the three girls from then, they were staring down at her and smiling triumphantly. _

"_My my, look what we have here," Azula sneered. "The little Avatar, caught at last."_

"_In your dreams," Amaya snarled, propelling herself to her feet and rotating, aiming a kick for Azula's head. But to her surprise, the girl's hand shot up and caught her ankle, twisting it painfully and throwing it to the side. Amaya was yanked off balance and she hit the ground again. _

"_I wouldn't try that again," Mai said. _

"_We might be forced to do something unpleasant," Azula smirked. She turned and Amaya followed her gaze to see Zuko shackled in a cell. They were suddenly in a prison, bars separating her from the scarred boy. _

"_Zuko!" Amaya shouted, concerned as she saw his bruised and bloody face. His leg was bent at a strange, sickening angle. _

"_Oops, too late," Azula hissed, stepping in front of her and blocking her view. "Sorry about that, but dear Zuzu ha his own crimes to pay for."_

"_You sick, twisted… He's your brother!" Amaya raged._

"_Amaya…." Zuko's voice was worrying faint, and filled with pain. "Don't… make… worse for yourself."_

_Amaya waved her hand as if to backhand Azula, but in reality she only slammed her into the wall with a gust of air. Amaya rushed pat her to the bars and clenched them until her knuckles were white, staring at Zuko pityingly. Searing pain bloomed in her shoulder and she yelped in surprise and hurt. Reaching around, she pulled out yet another blade from her shoulder, courtesy of Mai. _

"_I'm getting really sick of you," Amaya snarled. Her eyes landed on a nearby bucket of water and she raised her hands. The water didn't respond. Amaya frowned, flicking her wrist again. Nothing. She tried spinning her hands and making a small cyclone. Nothing. In desperation, she reached for fire, but not so much as a solitary stream of smoke drifted from her finger. It had worked a moment ago, what was wrong. She cast a desperate look at Zuko. _

"_Not worth anything without your bending, are you?" Mai sneered. "Not surprising."_

"_Shut up!" Amaya screamed. "Just shut up, shut up!"_

_Something wrapped around her ankle and jerked her feet out from under her…_

* * *

Zuko bolted upright, panting. He could still feel a phantom pain in his leg left over from his dream. Azula, Ty Lee, Amaya, Mai.

Mai. That was someone he hadn't thought of in a while, which was sad. She was supposed to be his girlfriend, wasn't she? But then, he had left when he was fourteen. Knowing what he did now, he realized that what they had was friendship, not romantic in the slightest. They had tried to force it, Mai in particular, but recently…

Recently another girl had been on his mind a lot. A girl with grey eyes instead of black, a braid instead of buns, bending instead of blades. And that was alright with him strangely enough. Mai was… boring, in all honesty. How could you get to know someone who never showed what she was feeling or thinking? There had always been that worry that he was boring her or that she didn't care at all. Her face was so blank. Amaya's was anything but, emotions flashing constantly across her lips and eyes, from smirks, to snarls, to glares, to corners crinkled with laughter. He knew where he stood with her, surprisingly, and it was a nice feeling. Even more surprisingly, he was on her good side.

But that dream… He wiped a hand across his forehead, removing a sheen of sweat. It had hurt. A lot. His leg was broken, and then to see his sister again so soon after her betrayal.

"Azula always lies," he whispered like a mantra. "Azula always lies."

And Amaya, frantic with worry for him once more, while she herself stood there bleeding from a knife thrown by the woman he had once thought he loved.

"I'm being ridiculous," Zuko growled, fisting his hands around the thin sheet he had pulled over him. He lay back down, glaring at the snoring lump that was his uncle. Soon though, the familiar snores lulled him back to sleep.

* * *

The first impression Amaya had was of the ground being pulled out from under her. But it wasn't the ground that was moving, it was her, being pulled along the ground by vines wrapped around her ankles. A quick glance around proved that Katara and Sokka were receiving similar treatment. Sokka was hacking at his vines with his blade, while Katara pulled knives of water from the swamp, slicing through the attacking plants. Amaya pushed the vines away with a swirling dome of air and leapt through the gaps when they slipped back together, going to where she felt safest, the treetops.

She didn't get far, only to her third branch before a vine seized her wrist and yanked her back to the ground. She blasted a jet of air at the vine, propelling it forwards and her back. She landed in the water and hopped up onto a root immediately, wincing at the feel of her soggy boots.

"Katara!" she called. "Sokka!" Nothing. "Well, drat. I knew something was off about this place."

With nothing else in her bag of tricks, Amaya started walking in the direction she was pretty sure the camp was. It didn't escape her notice that with the sun high overhead now, the swamp was looking eerily like her dream from the night before. There was even an embankment, and…

Amaya stopped and stared, jaw slack. There was the girl, Earth noble clothes and winged boar!

"Hey, you!" Amaya called. "You, who are you?"

The girl merely giggled and jumped down the other side of the bluff, the pig lifting off and following her. Amaya jumped and landed on the other side only to see the girl up in a tree. How had she gotten there so fast? Amaya grabbed a few vines and swung herself up, perching lightly on the branch. A giggle echoed from below her and she turned to see the girl on the ground, diving behind a tree.

"What the?" Amaya grouched, jumping back down and running, over, peering behind the tree. That mocking giggle sounded again and the girl was back up in the tree. Amaya jumped up onto the tree branch and ran along it after her. Somehow the girl was back on the ground and so Amaya went down after her, pushing aside a curtain of vines.

"Who are you?" she muttered, and grinned when she saw that the girl had stopped and was standing on a root up ahead. "Hey!" She ran towards the girl, who turned at her shout. Amaya saw blue eyes and suddenly it wasn't the little girl, it was Katara, and they collided, flying through another curtain of slime to slam into Sokka on the other side.

"What are you two doing?" he demanded. "I've been looking for you everywhere!"

"Well I've been wandering around looking for you!" Katara shot back.

"I was chasing a girl."

"You were what?" Katara blinked.

"Some girl in a fancy dress," Amaya shrugged, floating to her feet.

"Clearly our invitations to the tea party got lost in the mail!" Sokka groused.

"I thought I saw mom," Katara admitted quietly. There was a pause.

"Look, we all just hungry, and lost, and our mind played tricks on us," Sokka said in an attempt to explain it. "That's why we all saw things."

"What did you see?" Katara asked, noting how he lumped himself in with them.

"I thought I saw Yue," he said, turning away.

"Sokka…"

"I think about her all the time, okay?" he said, turning back around sharply. "And you saw mom, right? Someone you knew and you miss a lot."

"But I didn't know the random little girl," Amaya pointed out. "And all our visions… they led us here."

"But where's here?" Katara wondered. "The center?"

Amaya rotated, looking around. She realized where they were standing, on the roots of a gigantic tree, easily as big around as four Appa's and as tall as two from arrow to tail.

"Exactly," she smiled. "The heart of the swamp. It's been calling us all this time. I knew it."

"It's a tree!" Sokka shouted. "It can't call anything. For the last time, nothing called us here, and there's nothing supernatural about this place."

The vine monster rose out of the water to their right.

"Darn you Sokka!" Amaya yelled as its arms shot out. They scattered and an arm followed Sokka, wrapping around him and yanking him off his feet, dragging him back through the water. It lifted him up and slammed him back down again. Amaya shoved against air and a wall of it hit the thing's… hand. Sokka dropped to the ground and was left to fight smaller vines that snaked out of the water.

Amaya had problems of her own now though. She had caught the thing's attention and it shot an arm towards her, catching her in the stomach and throwing her up and back.

It was down to Katara as the thing grabbed Sokka and started flying through the water like a bender-propelled boat in the North Pole. She caught it off guard, slicing almost all the way through its arm with a slash of water. Vines wove from the shoulder to the nearly removed limb and pulled the two back together. Katara danced around its attack and kicked up a wave that shoved the thing back against a tree. It started shoving a struggling Sokka into its chest, almost like it was trying to absorb him. Seeing this, Katara pulled the water away on either side and ran for it. A tentacle of thick vines shot from the monster and threw her back.

Amaya was back on her feet, but she paused and watched as Katara went flying past her with a yell, and as a consequence she didn't see the attack until it hit her in the stomach and sent her after the girl. Amaya hit the water hard, floundering as she tried to reach the surface. Somehow, she managed to get completely turned around and propelled herself directly into the mud at the bottom of the swamp. Cursing mud and swamps in general, she righted herself and kicked off hard, shooting high into the air.

It only took her a moment to analyze the situation. The vine monster thing had Katara wrapped up and raised into the air, and Sokka was shouting, "There's someone in there!"

There was? Okay, she could work with that.

Amaya smirked as she landed in front of the monster and shot a powerful burst of air at it. Vines were slipping and sliding, coming undone, and revealing a pudgy man in only a straw hat and a leaf loincloth standing there.

"Not cool," she deadpanned. "If you're just going to try and kill us, why'd you go to the trouble of bringing us here?"

"Wait!" the man shouted, and Amaya obeyed, letting the wind slack off and then vanish. "I didn't bring you here," he explained.

"I was flying overhead and I heard something calling me here," Amaya said. "You mean it wasn't you?"

"She's the Avatar," Sokka clarified. "Stuff like that happens to her a lot."

"The Avatar?" the man blinked. "Oh, come with me!"

They all exchanged looks that quite clearly said, 'alright, do we follow the half-naked guy that just attacked us or not?'

Yes, was the general consensus, and they started a caravan through the swamp. The man led them up the roots of the giant tree in the middle of the swamp.

"I protect the swamp from people who would hurt it," the man explained. "Like this boym with his knife."

"See!" Sokka insisted. "Just a normal guy, protecting his home. Nothing mystical or supernatural about it."

"Oh, the swamp is mystical," the man said.

"Ha!" Amaya shouted, whirling on Sokka and pointing at him. Everyone stared at her, blinking at the outburst. She blushed. "Eh, sorry. Continue."

"I reached enlightenment right here, under the banyon tree," the man said, sitting down amongst the roots. "I heard it calling me, just like you did."

"Uh huh," Sokka said skeptically. "It seems very chatty."

"If I was a spirit," Amaya said. "I probably wouldn't like you that much."

"I'm okay with that."

"This swamp is actually just one big tree," the man explained."Branches spread and sink and take root, and then spread some more! One big living organism, just like the world!"

"Okay, the giant tree swamp I get," Amaya said. "But the whole world? That's a stretch!"

"You think you're any different than me, or your friends over there?" the man asked kindly. "You listen hard enough, you can hear every living thing breathing together, feel it all growing together. We're all living together, even though most folks don't act like it. We all have the same roots, and we are all branches of the same tree."

"But what about the visions we saw?" Katara asked. "What did they mean?"

"In the swamp we see visions of people we've loved, people we've lost. Folks we think are gone. But the swamp tells us we're not, that we're still connected to them. Time is an illusion, and so is death."

"But what about my vision?" Amaya asked. "I'd never seen that girl before."

"You're the Avatar, you tell me!" he grinned.

Amaya thought hard. "Time is an illusion… So, it's someone I will meet?"

He nodded and winked.

"Hate to interrupt the spiritual enlightenment or whatever," Sokka said. "But we've still got to find Appa and Momo."

"I think I know how," Amaya said hesitantly. "Everything is connected…"

She knew that well. She remembered when she had joined with the ocean spirit in the Northern Tribe. She had felt everything the water touched, and some things beyond. All she had to do was tune into that again, and let herself flow, let herself spread just like the tree.

She pressed a hand to the tree and closed her eyes. Katara gasped as the arrow on her hands glowed, a circle of white light appeared around the limb and then travelling down the side of the tree.

Amaya was flowing along the roots and stems and leaves of the swamp, letting her consciousness spread out to cover miles and feel everything. She felt crocodiles laying on the bottom of the swamp, leave shaking in a small breeze, snakes slinking through the branches, and most off all, vines running through everything, like little veins.

She saw Appa struggling against a net, Momo on his back. He was caught by people from the swamp standing in boats and pulling furiously, trying to hold the giant animal down.

Amaya stood up abruptly, the glow fading. "Come on," she said determinedly. "We have to hurry."

They took off through the swamp, Amaya and Katara carrying them all on discs of water they propelled through the channels. They arrived quickly, and Amaya sent a huge wave of air at the boats, slicing one in half and damaging the other. She shot another burst at a man holding a bag with Momo's tail protruding. He went flying and Momo shot out of the bag, flying up to land on Amaya's shoulder. She and Katara worked together to raise a huge wave and send it towards the boats, driving them men away from Appa.

But the man still in the boats was moving his hands as well, pushing the water back as they tried to push it forwards.

"You guys are Waterbenders!" Katara realized, letting her hands drop.

"You too?" the man asked, dropping his hands as well. "That means we're kin!"

Amaya laughed at the expression on Katara's face.

"Hey guys!" Sokka called, running up to the branch Amaya and Katara were standing on with the man following him.

"Hey Hue!" called the man from the boat. "How you been?"

"Oh, you know, scared some kids, moved some vines," Hue smiled. "Same old same old."

Katara, Sokka, and Amaya just stared at him.

"Hue?" Sokka asked.

So everything was explained, and they became part of a very strange banquet involving bugs, fish, swamp people, and pet catgators.

It was actually quite pleasant, and Amaya grinned as she realized that if she had lived a hundred years ago, she would never have met all the people she had today, and that was something she was really grateful for.


	5. In Which There is Only One Toph

"Master Yu?" Amaya said, stepping out of the Earthbending Academy. "Yeah, not among the great wait and listeners of our time."

"Well, your teacher has to be around here somewhere!" Katara said hopefully.

"I think the Boulder is going to win back the belt at Earth Rumble Six!"

"He's gonna have to fight his way through the toughest Earthbenders in the world to even have a shot at the champ!"

Amaya ran over to the two boys calling, "Hey!"

"What?" one demanded, turning to face her. He blinked when he saw her and nudged his friend. Amaya recoiled, blinking in faux hurt. She pouted and out on a cute, flirtatious expression.

"Do you think you could tell me where this fight is?" she asked. "I mean, I just love Earthbenders, they're so strong and tough." She was blatantly stroking their egos. They came out of the academy, so obviously they were benders themselves. They looked at each other, smirking.

"Well hello," said the freckly boy with a tuft of curly hair on his head. "I'm Chong. It's down at the beach, in an old cave."

"Oh, it sounds so exciting!" Amaya squealed, inwardly gagging. How did some girls do this constantly?

"So," said the one with floppy black hair, stepping towards her with what he probably thought was a winning grin. "You know, it might me more fun if you went with someone. You and I could-"

"No," Amaya deadpanned. They both seemed thrown by her sudden personality shift.

"But you were-"

"No."

"But what is I-"

"Yea- No."

Amaya turned and walked away, laughing as she linked arms with Katara and Sokka.

"What was that about?" Katara asked. "You were flirting with two guys at least two years younger than you."

"I heard them talking about some big Earthbending match. Thought it might be good to check out," Amaya shrugged. "I needed to get them to tell me where it was."

"That sounds awesome!" Sokka grinned. "So where is it?"

"You'll see," Amaya grinned, tossing her head.

* * *

"Should we move?" Amaya asked, staring at the rock that had slammed into the bleachers barely a foot from Sokka.

"Nah, this is awesome!" Sokka grinned, eyes alight with excitement as the announcer appeared in the middle of the ring.

"This is just going to be a bunch of sweaty guys chucking rocks at each other, isn't it?" Katara sighed disappointedly.

"That's what I paid for," Sokka grinned.

"Greetings!" the man shouted. "Welcome to Earth Rumble Six! I'm your host, Xin Fu! The rules are simple, just knock the other guy out of the ring, and you win!"

He pushed himself up into the air on a column of earth and landed in a large box above everything else.

"Round one is the Boulder Versus the big, bad Hippo!"

Two men stepped into the ring. One was a muscular man with a large tattoo across his back and the other was a huge, obese man with a tuft of hair on top of his head. That man opened his mouth and roared, showing four teeth that really did look like a hippo's.

"Listen Hippo," Boulder said. "You may be big, but you ain't bad. The boulder's gonna win this in a landslide!"

"Hippo... mad!" Hippo roared, stomping his foot. In the stands Amaya arched and eyebrow and crossed her arms.

"Hippo inarticulate," she smirked.

The Boulder kicked some rocks into the air and kicked them towards Hippo, who just stood there. She blinked as the rocks connected. Was this man crazy? No, he was just solid. He stood there with shattered bit of rocks around him, one clenched in his teeth. He chewed it up and spit out considerably smaller rocks, then started to jump up and down. The stage rocked, grinding against the pit below as it moved up and down.

"I don't believe it! Hippo is rocking the boat!"

The Boulder staggered towards the outer ring, but a sheet of rock slid out from the side and braced him. He seized it and threw it at the Hippo, who was prematurely celebrating his victory. Hippo growled and turned on him. The Boulder raised his arms, the ground under the Hippo's feet lifting him up before flinging him over the side of the stage.

"The Boulder wins!"

"What about him, he seems pretty good," Katara suggested.

"Yeah, I don't think so," Amaya said. "Bumi said I need someone who listens to the earth. He's just listening to his ego. Plus, I'd kill him after a few hours of listening to him refer to himself in third freaking person."

"I can see how that would get annoying, Katara grinned. "What do you think Sokka?"

"Yeah! Haha! Whoo!"

"Well, he won't be much help," Amaya sighed.

The next fight was versus the 'Fire Nation Man,' who promptly had his rear end handed to him. The same thing happened to the next competitor, the 'Gopher,' who burrowed around the stage. Next was the 'Gecko,' who scampered around on all fours and was nearly skin and bones. One good hit took him out without much trouble. The 'Headhunter' was last, and was smacked in the face with a sheet of rock.

"And now the moment you've all been waiting for," Xin announced quietly, before shouting, "The Boulder versus the Blind Bandit!"

The light fell on a small girl with dark hair. She wore well-made, expensive, but simple clothes, and held a big green belt over her head.

"She can't really be blind," Katara said nervously. "She can't be. It's just part of her character."

Amaya smiled as she stared at ice blue eyes she'd seen once before. "Oh yes she is."

Why would someone listen to the earth? Up until now, they were assuming it was some sort of mystical, spiritual enlightened quality they were looking for. But what if the listening had started from necessity? And who would have to listen? A girl who couldn't see.

Her new Earthbending teacher.

"The Boulder feels conflicted about fighting a young blind girl."

"Sounds like you're scared, Boulder!" the girl called back mockingly. Amaya grinned. She liked this girl. Yeah, this could work well.

"The Boulder is over his conflicted feelings and is now ready to bury you in a rockalanche!"

"Avalanche, idiot," Amaya muttered.

"Whenever you're ready, the Pebble!" the girl shouted.

Boulder stepped, the girl kicked, he stepped again, and… he was on the ground doing the splits, a small bit of earth having caught his foot and yanked it to the side at exactly the right moment. The blind Bandit sliced with her hand and three columns of earth shot up, hitting the Boulder in the back and flinging him from the ring.

"Your winner and still the champion, the Blind Bandit!" Xin crowed.

"And my new Earthbending teacher," Amaya grinned.

"That's her?" Katara asked.

Amaya nodded. "She's the girl I saw in the swamp. It has to be. See how she caught him at the perfect moment? She was _listening._"

Xin hopped down from his box, flourishing a bag of money. "To make things a little more interesting, I'm offering this sack of gold pieces to anyone who can come down here and defeat the Blind Bandit!" he waited a moment. Silence. "What? No one _dares_ enter the ring?"

"I dare!" Amaya grinned, walking up the stairs into the ring. She stood across from the girl and saw that she really was blind. Her eyes stared, but they didn't flick towards noises or make any small motions.

"Do people really want to see two little girls fight out here?" the Blind Bandit razzed. Amaya smirked.

"Oooh!"

"I'm not the one who's little here, tiny."

"Waaaah!"

"Actually, I want to talk," Amaya said, taking a step forwards. Instantly, the girl attacked, and Amaya jumped off of a spur of rock and floated around behind her, landing with barely a sound.

"Someone's a little light on their feet! What's your fighting name, the Fancy Dancer?"

"I'm usually just called, 'hey, girl!'"

She jumped off another rock spur that shot up under her feet.

"Where'd you go?" she mused as Amaya flipped over her head.

"Hey, I don't want to do any damage here," she said, landing.

"There you are!"

A rock shot from the ground, hurtling towards Amaya. Instinctively, she shoved out, blasting it backwards with air. Unfortunately, the rock refracted part of the breeze and it hit the girl, sending her skidding across the ring and down into the pit.

The arena went silent and Amaya blinked. Did she just… win? Nervously, she took a bow and scurried down the stairs after the Blind Bandit.

"Look, hold on!" she called as the girl stomped away, fuming. "I need and Earthbending teacher, and it's supposed to be you!"

"Look, I don't know who you are, but just leave me alone!" the blind bandit called back. She stomped and a door opened in the rock wall in front of her. She yanked it closed just as Amaya reached it.

"Wait!" Amaya called angrily, slamming a fist against the rock. The only thing it did was make her hand hurt. "Well, drat."

* * *

Sokka, Katara, and Amaya were walking through town the next day, looking for clues as to who the Blind Bandit was.

"Now I'm really glad I bought the bag," Sokka said. "It matches the belt perfectly."

"That is such a relief," Katara deadpanned.

"If we want to find the blind Bandit, best to start at a place full of Earthbenders," Amaya said, pointing to Master Yu's Earthbending Academy. They walked through the arched door only to see the two boys from yesterday punching urns full of sand. Amaya raised an eyebrow. And this helped you Earthbend… how?

"You," the freckly boy said sharply as he looked up and saw her. Amaya narrowed her eyes and stepped forwards. They hastily backed off.

"You beat the Blind Bandit," the other boy said.

"Yeah, we need to find her," Amaya said. "You know, girl talk."

"The Blind bandit is a mystery. She shows up to fight, and then disappears."

Amaya took three long steps forwards and pressed the darker-haired boy up against his urn. "You aren't telling us something," she said, smiling sweetly. "And you know how easily I beat the Blind Bandit last night? Imagine what I could do if you make me angry."

"I'm serious, I don't know!" the boy said, his voice jumping up an octave.

Amaya thought back to her vision. The girl, in her nice white dress. Nice white dress… Of course! She was from a rich family, they wouldn't want a daughter to be a known fighter. And she had a flying boar by her side.

"Flying boar," Amaya blurted in his face. Ring any bells?"

"That's the symbol of the Beifong family," the other boy said. "They're the richest people in town, probably the whole world."

"Seen the Fire Nation lately?" Amaya asked, raising an eyebrow. "Come on guys, let's go."

"But the Beifong family doesn't have a daughter," the boy said, confused.

"Flying boar is good enough for me," Amaya said.

"Yeah, you better run," he muttered. Amaya spun around, a hand trailing casually. A giant wind picked up and blew their urns over, dousing them in a liberal coating of grainy sand. She blew them both kisses and then flounced out of the Academy laughing.

Why was she so happy lately? She had no idea. Maybe it came from getting that bit about Zuko off her chest, even though it was to a bunch of criminals. **(AN: See first chapter of my series of one shots for explanation.)** Plus she'd found her Earthbending teacher, even if she was hard to track down. Ah well, such is life.

It was a simple manor to find the Beifong estate. The flying boar over the gate confirmed it. After that, it was just a quick hop over the wall and into a luxurious, well-manicured garden. They dove behind a tree for cover, looking out into the wide expanse around them.

The earth under their feet rumbled and then shot into the air, flinging them up. Amaya and Katara landed in bushed, while Sokka face-planted on the ground, groaning.

"What are you doing here, Twinkle Toes?"

Amaya leaned her head back to see the Blind Bandit standing over her in a dress identical to the one form her vision.

"How'd you know it was me?" she grinned.

"Don't answer to Twinkle Toes!" Sokka protested. "It's not manly!"

"I'm not a man idiot!" Amaya protested angrily.

"You're the one who's belt matches his purse," Katara pointed out irritably.

"How did you find me?" she demanded. Amaya grinned ruefully.

"Well, hold onto your headband. A crazy king told me I needed an Earthbending teacher who waits and listens, then there was this whole mystical swamp that gave you visions…"

"What Amaya means is," Katara explained. "She's the Avatar, and if she doesn't master Earthbending soon, she won't be able to defeat the Fire Lord."

"Not my problem," the girl said, sticking her hand in Katara's face. "Now get _out_ of here before I call the guards."

"We all have to do our part to win this war," Sokka attempted. "Yours is teaching Amaya Earthbending.

"Guards!" she called, affecting a quavering, fearful voice. "Guards help!"

"Toph!" called a guard, charging around the corner just as the trio hauled themselves back over the wall. "Toph, what's wrong?"

"I thought I heard someone," Toph said, still in that ridiculously pitiful voice. "I got scared."

"Toph, you know your father doesn't like you wandering the grounds alone," the guard said, sighing as he led her back towards the main house.

Amaya smirked as she watched the girl make her escape. So, Toph, was it? She wanted to play. Okay, she would play.

* * *

It didn't take much to get into the Beifong estate for real. A simple 'I'm the Avatar, can I talk to the Beifong's' was enough, and they were suddenly inside, being showered in delicacies and amazing food. Amaya was sitting across from Toph, smirking slightly as they ate. Toph looked mildly disgruntled.

"Blow on it," Lao Beifong commanded as a bowl of hot soup was placed in front of Toph. "It's too hot for her."

"Allow me," Amaya said. She twirled her finger, a small tornado appearing. It danced across the table as per her instructions and swirled over the soup, the steam vanishing. Of course, Toph's soup was stone cold now, but no one else need know that.

The table applauded at her small stunt.

"Avatar Amaya, it is an honor to have you in our home," Poppy Beifong said.

"Tell us, Amaya, how long do you think this war will last?"

"Summer's end is my goal," Amaya said confidently, sharing a look with Katara and Sokka. "Of course, I'll need to find an Earthbending teacher before then." She gave a pointed look to Toph, who was chowing down on her cold soup.

"Master Yu is the finest master in the land!" Lao said, gesturing to the teacher at the end of the table. "He's been teaching Toph since she was young."

"Then she must be a great Earthbender," Amaya praised. "Good enough to teach someone else." She let out a hiss of pain as a sharp rock stabbed at her shin. Toph's subtle way of saying shut up or I beat you to a bloody pulp.

"Toph is still learning the basics," Yu said primly.

"And I'm afraid because of her blindness, she may never be a true master," Lao said sadly. Amaya, Katara, and Sokka all exchanged disbelieving looks. Toph had managed to completely snow her family into thinking she was the pitiful little blind girl, hadn't she? Amaya was impressed.

"Oh, I'm sure she's better than you think," Amaya said. Her chair suddenly jerked under her and her face slammed into the soup in front of her. Everyone stared at Amaya as she sighed and sat up, picking the bowl off her head and placing it on the table. There was silence as she calmly pulled the Fire Nation decoration out of her hair, wiped it off tenderly with her napkin, and replaced it after every speck of food was gone. Then, very calmly and matter of factly, she looked at Toph and sneezed.

As a group, Airbenders are known for having the most violent sneezes out of any bending discipline. Amaya had spent several sleepy afternoons at the temple improving hers. She held the record for propelling herself into the air with a single sneeze at a height of fifty feet. So when she sneezed, the entire opposite side of the table was sprayed with food. And there was Toph with a bowl plastered to her face and soup dripping down her.

"What's your problem?" she demanded, removing the bowl and standing up sharply, leaning over the table.

"My apologies," Amaya said in the primmest of ways. "Allergies. Yours?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Perhaps we should retire to the living room for desert?" Poppy said, ever playing the hostess.

* * *

They were given rooms for the night and Amaya was just saying goodnight to Appa when Toph appeared, lounging in the doorway.

"I'm sorry about dinner. Look, let's call a truce, okay?" Toph asked.

"Okay," Amaya grinned. "But no more prissy voice, okay? I'm not sure I can handle it anymore."

Toph grinned crookedly. "Deal. So, Twinkle Toes, you wanted to talk. Let's talk."

Amaya nodded and crossed the room, waving to Katara and Sokka as she left with Toph. They were silent as Toph led her to the garden.

"So, blind girl, huh?" Amaya asked. "Gotta say, that wasn't what I was expecting when Bumi told me too look for someone who waits and listens. I was thinking old monk."

Toph hopped up onto the rail of a bridge and walked along it perfectly. Amaya did the same, remembering when she used to race across the tiny ledges around the Air Temple with her friends.

"Even though I was born blind, I've never had a problem seeing," Toph explained. "I see with Earthbending. It's sort of like seeing with my feet. I feel the vibrations, and I can tell where everything is. You, that tree, even those ants."

It took Amaya a minute to find the ants, even with her eyes.

"My parents don't understand," Toph said, moving towards the wall, a longing expression on his face. Amaya followed her, smiling softly. "They've always thought of me as the helpless little girl."

"And thus the blind bandit was born," Amaya nodded.

"Yeah," Toph nodded.

"So why stay?" Amaya asked, pushing up and perching in the branches of a tree, swinging her feet. "If you don't like it here."

"They're my parents," Toph said as if it was obvious. "Where else am I supposed to go?"

"I never knew my parents," Amaya sighed, dropping down to the ground. "When I was just a baby, I showed a talent for Airbending, so it was off to the temples. I used to wonder where they were, if they thought about me, if they cared. But then I realized that you make your own family. Yeah, they're your parents, but that doesn't mean that you can't go with other family. Katara and Sokka both left their people to travel with me. They're my family now. You could be too."

"Yeah," Toph sighed. "You guys get to go wherever you want, no one telling you what to do. That's the life. It's just not my life."

"I could be," Amaya offered.

Toph's head jerked to the side suddenly, and she pressed a hand to the ground. "Save the mush for later Twinkle Toes, we're being ambushed!"

Amaya and Toph immediately bolted for the house. If they could raise the alarm, they'd have Master Yu and the guards on their side, plus Katara and Sokka.

They didn't make it. The Gopher, the man from Earth Rumble, shot from the ground in front of them. Amaya and Toph each took a bending stance. It did no good as metal crates dropped over their heads, containing them. Amaya glared out at Xin, the announcer, and all the other fighters.

"I think you girls owe me some money," he sneered.

"Really?" Amaya asked, blinking innocently, though her eyes were hateful. "I could have sworn all I owed you was a punch in the neck."

She and Toph both hurled insults all the way to the arena, still hurling down threats and taunts as they were hauled into the air and suspended over the arena, urging each other on.

"You think you're so tough!" Toph raged. She had to stand on her tiptoes to see out of the box, so the effect was somewhat ruined, but still. "Why don't you come up here so I can smack that grin off your face!"

"I'm not smiling," Xin said, and indeed he wasn't. In fact, after a half hour of being insulted along with every other member of his family, he was frowning quite heavily.

"Toph!"

The two girls paused their shouting to look up. Lao, Sokka, Katara, and Yu were on the opposite side of the ring.

"Here's your money," Sokka said, throwing a green bag on the floor. Yu bent it across the arena floor over to Xin. He picked it up and weighed it, opening the bag and mentally tallying it up.

"Fine, take the brat, and welcome," he said, gesturing. Toph's cage was lowered and she was dumped roughly on the ground. Immediately the girl was on her feet, rushing to her father's side.

"What about Amaya?" Katara called. Xin unfurled a poster and grinned.

"I think the Fire nation will pay a very fine price for the Avatar. Now get _out of my ring!"_

The fighters appeared, rocks at their fingertips and ready to attack

"Go, I'll be okay!" Amaya called. Katara and Sokka turned hesitantly and went for the exit.

"Toph!" Katara called. "There's too many of them! We need and Earthbender, we need you!"

"My daughter is blind!" Lao raged angrily. "She blind, and helpless, and tiny and fragile!" he stuttered. "She can't help you!"

"Yes, I can," Toph said, pulling her hand free.

Amaya listened to all this as she was put on the fighter's shoulders and walked out of the arena, bumping her back against the rivets in the metal painfully. She heard rumbling, and then she stopped.

"I've kicked your butts before and I can do it again!" Toph called. Amaya grinned.

"The Boulder takes issue with that comment."

"The Boulder clearly has a personality complex!" Amaya called form inside the box, then yelped as it was tossed and she was banged around inside.

"They're mine," she heard Toph say from outside, and her grin widened.

Sokka and Katara appeared, trying desperately to free her. Katara tugged at the doors on the bottom and Sokka beat the latch with one of the rocks now flying from Toph's dust cloud along with the fighters.

"Hit it harder!" she ordered.

"I'm trying!"

It wasn't much longer before the latch gave and Amaya slipped out into the arena, grinning as she watched blurry shapes move through the dust.

"Go Blind Bandit!" she cheered. "Go Toph!"

"Can it Twinkle Toes!" Toph called from inside. "I'm working here!"

Amaya laughed as the dust settled and Toph was left facing Xin. They circled for a moment, and she could see Lao up in the stands biting his nails and looking like he was about to have an aneurism. Xin moved suddenly, firing eight rocks off different sizes at Toph. She raised a protective wall made of two triangular slabs. When the barrage finished, she shot one towards the fight promoter, who dodged. His hand dipped into the ground and Toph grinned. She dodged the small rock thrown towards her head and returned with an attack that sent Xin flying out of the ring to crash into the bleachers.

Katara and Amaya ran over eagerly, while Sokka just fainted in disbelief.

"Nice to finally meet you, Toph," Amaya grinned, patting her on the shoulder.

* * *

Needless to say, they weren't welcome at the Beifong estate anymore. Amaya stood on the bluff overlooking the compound, staring back at the house. It had nearly killed her to hear Lao's judgment passed and to see Toph's tears as they were lead out. That girl was twelve, and she'd never really lived. Her parents stifled her for fear of her being hurt, when in actuality, they were causing her the most harm.

"You'll find someone else," Katara assured her. "There are plenty of amazing Earthbenders out there."

"But there's only one Toph," Amaya said softly.

"That's true."

They clambered onto Appa and Amaya took a breath to say the traditional phrase. But before she could, she heard heavy panting. She turned to see Toph dressed in her fighting clothes, a bag over her shoulder.

"Toph!" she grinned.

"My dad changed his mind," the girl panted. "He says I'm free to travel the world."

Amaya narrowed her eyes. Uh huh, sure. The overprotective father of the years had just decided to let his preteen daughter run wild with a bunch of teenagers. And she was a fire ferret.

"Well, we'd better go, before your dad changes his mind again," Sokka said.

"You'll be a great teacher Toph," Amaya grinned, and she meant it. she'd already learned a valuable lesson from the girl. Never be afraid to show who you really are.

"Thanks," Toph said. "Before you go, can I show you something?"

"Sure," Amaya shrugged, hopping down. She hit the ground only to be blasted back up into the tree. She managed to wrap a leg around a branch and laughed loudly. "You're definitely going to fit right in."

"And I'll take the belt back," she said, holding out a hand. Regretfully, Sokka stripped it off and dumped it over the side of the saddle.

"Ow!" Toph yelled as it struck her and she toppled over.

"Sorry," Sokka apologized. Amaya flipped and dropped to the ground. She flicked her hand and Toph was suddenly flicked into the saddle. She jumped up and they were off, a new member among them.


	6. In Which Appa Fluff is Used Maliciously

**I may not be able to post as regularly as before. Real life popped up,with friendship troubles, auditions, 3 school projects and a truly terrifying amount of tests. So here's an extra long chapter for you. We're coming up on the AmayaXZuko climax in four or five chapters, *squeals* Very excited, and I hope you guys are too!**

**Shout out to some of my loyal reviewers:**

**BookLover4Ever Yay**

**BrokenYetDreaming**

**PaleEnchantresOfTheNight (glad you're back)**

**MidnightBlueConverse99**

**Fishpuppy**

**little ninja of awesome (lol, love the pen name)**

**deepstars**

**angel2u**

**Sun Spirit Taia**

**Sugar Apple**

**Seriously, you guys are the reason Amaya's made it this far into her story and hasn't been shoved into a dusty corner of my mind. And trust me, my mind has lots of dusty corners with lonely characters in need of a story.**

* * *

"You guys picked a great campsite," Toph said. "This grass is so soft." She flopped backwards, fur puffing into the air around her.

"Yeah, not grass," Sokka said. "Appa's shedding."

"Oh, gross Appa," Katara said, frowning at the thick layer of fur under her feet in distaste.

"It's just part of spring," Amaya shrugged. "You know, things hatch, rebirth, and Appa gets fresh fluff."

"Ah, the beauty of spring," Katara said drily.

"Heh, you think this is bad, you should have seen the stables back in the day," Amaya snorted. "When there were hundreds of shedding bison. It was so much fun to sleep there. The ground was so soft."

"That's… really nasty," Katara deadpanned.

"Bison fur is one of the softest things in the world!" Amaya said loftily. "Enjoy it!"

Appa sneezed and a cloud of loose fur burst forth, falling around them like fluffy white rain.

"Oh, Appa, stop!" Katara said as she choked on a piece of hair.

"It's not that bad Katara," Sokka grinned. He stood up revealing a pile of the stuff on his head. "It makes a great wig."

"I am so glad we have another girl in the group," Katara sighed. "You are so gross."

Toph slunk forwards. "Does anyone have a razor?" she raised her arms, revealing thick tufts of hair. "Because I've got some hairy pits!"

"Well, at least you aren't getting in on this, Amaya," Katara sighed. Amaya guiltily stopped braiding the hair into her own.

"Er, I so wasn't about to pretend to be an old lady," she said, quickly brushing the hair out. "That would be crude. Eh heh."

"Why do I even try?" Katara sighed, rubbing her face.

* * *

"So Toph," Katara said. "When we make camp, we usually try to divide up the work."

"I'm good here," Toph shrugged, continuing to toll the piece of straw around in her mouth as she lounged against some rocks.

"What I mean is," Katara frowned. "One of us might get water while someone else sets up the tent or starts the fire. Even Momo gets some of the food."

"Katara, I can carry my own weight," Toph said, sitting up. "I don't need a fire, I've collected all my own food." She patted the bag by her side, then slammed her fists into the ground. Two sheets of rock formed an arch over her. "And look, my tent's all set up."

"Well, that's great for you, but we still need to finish-"

"I don't _understand_, what's the problem here?"

"_Nevermind."_

It wasn't much later before Katara tried again while Amaya got Sokka out from under Appa's gigantic saddle.

"Look, I'm sorry about earlier," Katara apologized. "I think we're all just tired and getting on each other's nerves a lot easier than we would otherwise."

"Yeah, you do seem pretty tired," Toph replied absently.

"I meant all of us!" Katara protested.

"Yeah. Well, goodnight," Toph said, stretching out inside her stone tent.

"Goodnight," Katara sighed, giving in.

* * *

"Something's coming!"

Toph's shout around midnight had everyone up and by her side almost immediately.

"What's going on?" Amaya muttered, rubbing her eyes as she staggered over.

"It feels like an avalanche," Toph said as she crouched with on hand on the ground. "But also, not like an avalanche."

"Your powers of perception are truly amazing," Sokka said in a monotone.

"Should we leave?" Katara asked.

"Better safe than sorry," Amaya said. "I'd rather not get caught in a maybe-avalanche, just me though."

They quickly packed up, courtesy of months of practice, and were in the air before ten minutes had passed. They all stared out into the plain beyond the edge of the forest they were camped in. A huge cloud of dust was rumbling across the flat stretch of land, concealing what the thing actually was.

"What is that?" Katara wondered, squinting at the cloud and trying to make out and outline through the dirt.

"No idea," Sokka said, shaking his head. "But I doubt it's friendly."

"What is in our lives?" Amaya sighed. "You guys try and get some sleep, I'll steer."

No one listened to her, too concerned with the shape behind them. They stayed awake to watch, or in Toph's case listen, even though their eyes kept drifting shut only to snap open moments later. When they landed, everyone had healthy-sized black bags under the eyes.

"Land!" Toph grinned, jumping down and stretching. "Sweet land! Well, see you guys in the morning."

"Actually Toph," Katara said tensely. "I was hoping you could help us unpack."

"You need me to help unpack Sokka's funky-smelling sleeping bag?" she asked skeptically.

Sokka grabbed his sleeping bag and sniffed it, before promptly falling over.

"We can handle that in the morning," Amaya yawned as she threw her and Katara's sleeping bags to the ground.

"Yeah, I do," Katara said, a bit of annoyance leaking into her voice. "And everything else. You're a part of our team now, and everybody-"

"Look!" Toph said, pointing at her. "I don't ask you to unpack my stuff, so don't expect me to handle yours. I'm carrying my own weight!"

"That's not what I'm saying!" Katara shouted, losing it. "Ever since you've joined us, you've been nothing but _selfish_ and _unhelpful!_"

"Listen here, sugar queen!" Toph shouted. "I gave up everything I had to come teach Amaya Earthbending, so don't talk to _me_ about being selfish!" She sat down and put up her usual stone tent.

"_Sugar queen?"_ Katara demanded angrily. Another rock covered the entrance. "Did you just slam the door on me? How can you be so infuriating?"

"So, should we do something, you think?" Amaya asked as she watched with Sokka. Katara was going nuts, wandering around the tent, banging on it, and ranting.

"Hey, I'm just enjoying the show," Sokka grinned.

"Hey, Katara?" Amaya said, cautiously edging over to the irate girl. "You know, I think we all need to just back away and take some time to ourselves to calm down…"

"_**I'm completely calm!"**_

"Holy hogmonkeys," Amaya muttered, recoiling as Katara whirled on her with bloodshot, bulging eyes and bared teeth. "I can see that. I'm just gonna go… stand… over here. Yeah." She fled and busied herself with unrolling her sleeping bag.

She had almost gotten to sleep when Katara yelled, "Hey, the stars sure our beautiful tonight. Too bad you can't see them _Toph!_"

A ridge of earth started outside toph's tent and moved quickly towards Katara's bag, throwing her into the air. She shouted and landed on Sokka, who shoved her off roughly and sat up.

"How's a guy supposed to sleep with all this shouting and earthquaking?" he demanded.

Toph's door abruptly lowered and her pale face poked out. "That thing is back!" she shouted, a hand on the ground.

"How far away is it?" Sokka whined, flopping back and pulling the lip of his sleeping bag over his eyes. "Maybe we can just close our eyes and it'll go away."

Amaya stared at the dust cloud rising over the trees. She could vaguely feel the ground trembling beneath them. Altogether, they probably didn't have twenty minutes before that thing reached them.

"So Sokka, no dice," Amaya groaned, hopping up and blearily going about wrapping up her bag. There was much groaning and staggering and eye-rubbing as everyone packed up. It took longer to get into the air this time, everyone moving at half-pace even though they tried to rush.

"Seriously, what is that thing?" Katara demanded as she and Toph peered over the back of the saddle at the rapidly-receding dust cloud.

"And how does it keep finding us?" Toph wondered.

"I don't know," Amaya said, closing Sokka's mouth so that he was no longer snoring in her face. "But this time I'm going to make sure we lose it."

Amaya flew until she was nearly ready to pass out before steering Appa down on a high column of rock. Appa landed and promptly fell over, exhausted.

"Forget unpacking," Sokka grumbled, seizing his sleeping bag and crawling inside. "I'm finding the softest patch of dirt I can and going to sleep."

"Good, because Toph wasn't going to help anyway," Katara muttered.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't realize baby still needed someone to tuck her in," Toph sneered.

"That's it!" Amaya shouted, standing up and towering over the two girls with her hands on her hips. "But of you, knock it off! It's late, we're all tired, so quit! Toph, it wouldn't kill you grab the water or carry a bag every now and then. Katara, lay off Toph, nagging isn't going to do anything but start fights, and we can't afford that. We've got something on our tails, and we don't know what or who it is, how it's trailing us, or what it wants."

There was a moment of silence as the echo of Amaya's angry voice faded and everyone blinked at her. She imagined she looked a fright, the wind whipping her braid around her, wide, bleary eyes, and angry stance.

"It could be Zuko," Katara theorized quietly. "We haven't seen him since the North Pole."

Amaya's posture immediately relaxed as she remembered the North Pole. A small smile slipped across her face that thankfully couldn't be seen in the dark. That wouldn't be so bad. However, she doubted it. From her dreams, she knew that he and the Fire Nation were no longer copacetic. Giving him some big, roving, expensive piece of machinery probably wasn't going to happen.

"Who's Zuko?" Toph asked, and Amaya realized they really _hadn't_ seen Zuko in a while. Her dreams, which were occurring with more and more frequency, made it seem like they still saw him a couple times a week.

"Oh, just some angry guy with a ponytail who's tracked us all over the world," Sokka said into the dirt.

"What's wrong with ponytails, ponytail?" Katara teased.

"This is a warrior's wolf tail," Sokka said, raising a hand and pointing to his head.

"Well, it sure tells all the other warriors that you're fun and perky!"

"We can mock Sokka's head in the morning," Amaya mumbled, laying down and rolling over. "Now. Sleep."

Momo jumped on Sokka's chest and started chattering. "No Momo. Sleep."

Momo jumped off and ran to the edge of their little platform, jumping up and down and jabbering.

"Oh, don't tell me…" Sokka groaned.

"There's no way they could have followed us," Amaya said, sitting up and staring at the dust cloud incredulously.

"I can feel it with my own two feet!" Toph said, wiggling her toes in the dirt to illustrate the point.

"Let's go!" Katara said, already moving towards Appa.

"Maybe we should see what they want," Amaya said, an idea born more out of desperation than actual sense. "Maybe their friendly."

"Why must you do that?" Sokka groaned. "It's just more depressing when you're wrong."

The machine stopped and the dust cloud settled, revealing some sort of engine pulling several metal carts. The metalwork was undeniably Fire nation. That was further confirmed when one of the carts opened and three figures emerged riding mongoose dragons, animals indigenous to the Fire nation. And mounted on top were Mai, Azula, and the pink-clad girl.

"It's those girls from Omashu!" Katara blinked.

"We can take them," Toph said, and everyone stepped into their preferred fighting stances. "Three on three!"

"Hey!" Sokka protested.

"Oh, sorry," Toph chuckled. "I wasn't counting you on account of, you know, no bending."

"I can still fight!" Sokka shouted.

"Then prove it," Amaya said grimly. "Because here they come."

The three mounts began racing towards them. Toph raised barriers in front of them, but the agile reptiles just skipped over them and kept coming.

"Well, we wanted to know who they were, and now we do," Sokka said. "So let's go!"

They ran for Appa, but Toph remained behind. She raised a thick wall between the two groups, but Azula made quick work of that with a lightning blast.

"Toph, come on!" Amaya shouted, jumping down and running for the girl. Mai raised her arm and several small arrows shot from her sleeve. Amaya wrapped an arm under Toph's shoulders and waved her other arms, snarling as she deflected the bolts with a wave of air. She jumped, carrying Toph and dropping her into the saddle.

"Yip yip!" she shouted as soon as she landed, scrambling towards the reins even as Appa took off.

"I could have handled it myself," Toph grumbled. "You didn't need to help me."

"I didn't know if you could tell Mai had attacked," Amaya explained, adrenaline making her voice sharp. "I just didn't want any accidents. Besides, you didn't know them. Mai, she throws knives and arrows, and she's pretty darn accurate. Azula is Zuko's sister. She's a prodigy, she can even bend lightning. I don't know about the other girl, but she's probably just as dangerous as the others."

"How did you know about… Azula, was it?" Sokka asked, narrowing his eyes. Amaya tensed. How could she explain? She couldn't just tell them she was dreaming about someone they hated. She shared a look with Katara, who grasped it immediately. She was the only one Amaya had told, and she'd like it to stay that way. Sokka wouldn't be receptive to the idea, and who knew how Toph would feel.

"When Zuko had me at the North Pole," Amaya said. "He mentioned her. He didn't know I was awake."

Not technically true, but better than a straight up lie.

"I still think we could have taken them," Toph grumbled.

"What?" Katara blinked. "Are you crazy? As if… lightning, right?" Amaya nodded. "As if bending lightning and flying daggers weren't bad enough, last time we saw them in Omashu, the ink one did something that took my bending away. That's scary."

Amaya sat up straighter. "What did she do? Did she poke you?"

"Yeah," Katara frowned. "How did you know?"

Amaya let out a low snarl. "The monks taught us about anatomy at the Temple. Striking certain pressure points on the body certain ways can deaden limbs, caught involuntary muscle contractions, or even temporarily block chi. That's what she did. We were taught the basics so that we could defend against them, but we were forbidden to try it, because if you do it wrong you can block blood flow and the victim could lose a limb, or even die, depending on which area is deprived of blood."

"You know a lot about this," Sokka blinked.

"Anatomy was one of my favorite subjects," Amaya said guiltily. "That and zoology. Gyatso was worried because I expressed an interest in learning to apply the technique in fighting. Actually, the monks were worried I expressed an interest in fighting at all. They're pacifists."

"Aw man!" Sokka groaned as he watched the sun rise. "The sun's coming up. We've been up all night!"

"We can handle one night without sleep," Amaya said confidently.

"How do you know?" Sokka demanded, looking around, paranoid. "I've never not slept before! What if I fall asleep now and something happens? And something always happens!"

"Every time we land those girl's catch up to us," Katara pointed out. "We just have to keep flying."

"We can't keep flying forever," Amaya pointed. "We'll all need rest, Appa especially. And I want to teach you all some techniques to block that girl in pink's attacks. It could come in handy."

"Okay," Katara agreed. "But after we've slept. I don't think I could learn anything like this."

"I don't think I could teach anything like this," Amaya said ruefully.

The sun was fully risen before anyone spoke again.

"What's the plan?" Amaya sighed with a yawn.

"Too tired to think," Toph groaned.

"We'll come up with something after a short nap," Katara muttered, pressing her head into a pack.

"Yes," Sokka whimpered happily. "Sleep."

That was when Appa dropped out of the sky.

"What's happening?" Katara screamed as she clung to Sokka.

"Appa's asleep!" Amaya yelled back, scrambling down his face and hanging upside down in front of his eyes. "Appa, come on, come on! Wake up buddy!" She poked at his eyelids, trying to raise them, but she wasn't confident enough to let go for long.

Thankfully, Appa woke up just before they were speared on top of several pine trees. He managed to rise above them before crashing headlong through them and into a clearing by a river. He was asleep in the middle of a rut in the ground.

"Appa's exhausted, he has to sleep," Amaya said.

"I say we all follow his example," Sokka said. "We put a lot of distance between us and that machine."

"We could have had some sleep earlier, if Toph didn't have such issues," Katara muttered.

"What!" Toph shrieked, and Amaya blinked. She had no idea Toph was capable of that level of shrillness.

"Okay, okay," Amaya said. "Like I said before, were all tired. Sniping isn't helping Katara, so let's all just sleep."

"No, I want to see what Katara has to say!" Toph said angrily, jumping up. "You think I have _issues?"_

"I'm just saying, if you had pitched in earlier, maybe we could have set up camp faster and gotten some sleep!"

"You're blaming _me_ for this?" Toph demanded.

"Heh, she's not blaming anybody here!" Amaya said, jumping between them.

"Oh, I'm blaming her!"

Amaya shot Katara a look that clearly said she wasn't helping.

"Look, I didn't ask for diddly doo dah from you!" Toph yelled. "I carry my own weight! If there's anyone to blame, it's sheddy over here!"

"How is Appa a problem?" Amaya demanded defensively.

"You want to know how they keep tracking us?" Toph snapped. "It's because he's leaving a trail of fur everywhere we go!"

"You talk about how you're carrying you own weight, but you aren't!" Amaya shouted. "Appa is! That's all he does, is carry all our weight, and he's saved our lives three times today. And you're blaming _him_ for our problems?"

"I'm out of here," Toph said quietly. She kicked the ground and her bag shot into the air. She snatched it and looped it over her shoulder and walked off down the river.

"Wait!" Sokka yelled, stepping in front of her. Toph just bent the earth around his feet and moved him to the side. He blinked.

There was a moment where everyone was still and silent, going over everything that had just been said. Then Amaya yelled and pressed her hands to her feet.

"What did I do?" she groaned. "I finally found the Earthbending teacher Bumi wanted me to have, and what do I do? Yell at her until she walks out!"

"We're trying to get used to her," Katara mumbled, hugging her torso guiltily. "I was so mean to her."

"Yeah, you guys were pretty much jerks," Sokka piped in.

"Thanks Sokka," Katara said.

"Glad to know we can rely on you to tell it like it is," Amaya said. He saluted them with his cup

"No problem."

"We should go find her and apologize," Katara said. Amaya nodded.

"But that still leaves the problem of the tank full of dangerous ladies stalking us," Sokka pointed out.

Amaya pressed a hand to Appa's side. "I have an idea."

What followed then was probably one of the fastest bison-washings in history. Katara and Amaya washed and rinsed him by Waterbending from the river while Momo and Sokka scrubbed him all over. When they were finished, they got him back on land, and Amaya dried him with a long, concentrated burst of air that left a trail of hair behind him.

"What now?" Sokka asked.

"Toph wasn't wrong when she said Appa's fur was making a trail," Amaya admitted. "But he's clean, so no more hair. I'm going to use all this to lay a false trail. That should give us some time to get away and sleep, and make a plan for handling this permanently."

"Are you sure Appa's okay to fly?" Katara asked worriedly. Appa was still having trouble keeping his eyes open and he was swaying dangerously.

"So long as we leave his saddle and all our stuff here," Amaya nodded as she scooped up his hair into a bag over her shoulder.

"Okay," Katara said. She and Sokka climbed on and Appa took off, clipping the top of the trees as he did. Amaya got on her glider and went off in the opposite direction, letting the hair trail for her bag as she went, occasionally supplementing it with a handful when the stream got a bit thin.

She flew all the way to the desert, angling down and making her descent when she saw an abandoned town, probably the result of the village's water source drying up. It looked like someplace they might land for the night to get some sleep though, so she went down, dropping into the main street and feeding fur onto the street in a path. She ran out in front of an old corral with broken-down fencing. She sighed and dropped the bag, opening her glider and preparing to go back.

But she paused. Would going back really help? Appa had clipped those trees, it was possible Katara and Sokka had pursuers. But if Azula was as ruthless as she seemed to be, she'd send the other two after them and follow the trail to the Avatar herself. With only Azula, she might stand a chance, and if she could get some information, or at least slow the girl down some, it would be worth it to stay there. Sokka and Katara could probably handle Mai and the other girl themselves, they had Appa after all.

So Amaya closed her glider and sat down at the end of the trail, waiting.

She didn't have to wait long. She was squinting into the setting sun when she saw the outline of Azula on her mongoose dragon riding towards her. She was right, the other girl was alone, but that didn't make her seem any less intimidating. In fact, her expression was one of supreme confidence, as if she'd already one. In her mind, she probably had.

"So, you finally got here," Amaya sighed. "Took you long enough."

"I'm sorry," Azula apologized, but it was obviously mocking. "It took me a few seconds to figure out your little trick. One thing I am wondering about though. How did you know I was Zuko's sister when we met in Omashu? Family resemblance, perhaps."

Amaya snorted. "Avatar stuff. You wouldn't understand."

Azula sniffed. "Fine. Give up Avatar. You're tired and alone. Even if you run, I'll catch you."

"Okay, now I see the family resemblance," Amaya grinned lopsidedly. Maybe it was sleep deprivation, but suddenly everything just seemed _really funny_. "'I will catch you, there's no escape, I will always find you.' Yeah, didn't work for Zuko either. One thing though," Amaya said, standing up and holding her glider firmly at her side. "Who said I was going to run?"

Azula smirked. "Do you _really_ want to fight me?"

"Not on my bucket list, but I'll go with it," Amaya grinned.

"Yes, I do."

An ostrich horse ran from between two buildings and a man dropped from the saddle, shucking his straw hat and standing up. Gold eyes flashed in the hot desert sun.

"Zuko!" Amaya breathed.

"I was wondering when you'd show up Zu-Zu," Azula said, as if this was not surprise.

"Zu-Zu?" Amaya replied, hiding a snort behind her hand. Zuko shot her an annoyed look and she blushed, shrugging apologetically.

"Back off," Zuko ordered. "She's mine."

"I'm not going anywhere," Azula said, taking a stance across from both her brother and Amaya.

Amaya sighed, tucking her glider over her shoulder and pulling out her fans. "Oh for the love of…" she muttered irritably as she went up on one foot, one fan extended and closed and the other open and pulled behind her head. She was ready to either dodge, attack, or defend this way.

There was absolute silence as Zuko, Azula, and Amaya all watched for the first move. Azula smirked and made it, firing on Zuko. Amaya suddenly realized she could take this opportunity to escape. But she paused a moment too long when Zuko was slammed into a post, and suddenly she was under attack from Azula. Amaya dropped to the ground and spun, fans extended, whipping the fire around behind her. Azula jumped up and over her tomorrow and Amaya was suddenly swirling around blue and orange attacks exchanged between the two siblings. She danced around and ducked under each blast and moved behind Azula.

This was both a good and bad thing. Now she had no one behind her to watch, that was Azula's problem now, but she was also having to block Azula's attacks, plus Zuko's shots that went wide. Zuko jumped and came down in front of Azula, and Amaya blinked, watching in fascination as they seemed to sway, pressing each other back in turns. But Azula got free and shot a blast at Amaya. She jumped up onto a set of stairs, going over the railing and onto the landing between two houses to avoid the next one. She charged through a doorway and realized her mistake almost instantly as she noticed the floor had been removed. She conjured an air scooter and floated on it across the room, hoping the two royal siblings would fall for the same thing she almost did.

Azula was indeed surprised when she came in and saw that the floor was suddenly no longer there, but she recovered fast enough to swing onto the thin ledge surrounding the entire room. Zuko wasn't so lucky; he charged straight in and hit the ground. Amaya ditched the scooter and ran around the ledge, thanking all the Air Nomads that came before for the balance she now had as she moved as easily as if she was running across a wide plain. She shoved Azula hard and the girl hit the ground a story, landing on her feet.

Amaya was out of the room and in the street like a shot. Zuko was slammed through the side of the building into the street, Azula following him and moving immediately for Amaya. She jumped back into the alley between two houses, propelling herself from wall to wall and upwards to avoid the attacks. Azula caught on quickly and simply used her fire to slice away the top corner of the building. Amaya scrambled and made it to the more stable part, but Azula sliced it away as well.

She landed hard inside the building, the wreckage of the roof all around her. She might have been okay. But by sheer bad luck, a thick beam had managed to pin her leg to the ground. This gave Azula ample opportunity to come in through the door and ring the entire room in her particular brand of blue fire. Amaya strained, but Azula was already smiling and lining up a shot. It went wide when water flew into the room and wrapped unerringly around her wrist. Another stream sliced through the board and Amaya shoved it off as Azula ran out after her attacked.

She stepped into the street, thrilled to see the new state of things. Azula was facing down Katara and Sokka, and managing to hold her own. Iroh was standing over Zuko, who seemed to be regaining consciousness. She threw herself with relish into attacking Azula with Sokka and Katara, and the three of them managed to give her a rather hard time of it.

Amaya blinked as azula suddenly went down. She didn't seem the type to misstep or trip and take herself down. It was all explained as Toph emerged from an alleyway behind her.

"I thought you could use some help," the girl grinned.

"Toph, I love you!" Amaya crowed.

"Thanks," Katara added considerably more sedately.

Azula got up and made a break for an escape, but she bounced off Iroh's not inconsiderable belly. Suddenly everyone had a common enemy, no matter why they came here. Amaya and Zuko stood beside each other, Iroh and Katara on their other sides, followed by Toph and Sokka respectively. They backed Azula into a corner.

"Well well," she said. "Enemies and traitors, all working together. I'm done. I know when I'm beaten. A princess surrenders with honor."

"But you don't have any, now do you?" Amaya asked.

Azula proved it then, and did the unthinkable. She attacked her own uncle, her flesh and blood relative, sending a fire blast directly at his chest. That triggered a response from everyone and suddenly she was under attack from all four elements and a boomerang. She raised a shield of swirling fire around herself and then imploded it, the smoke and flying debris giving her time to escape.

When the smoke cleared, Zuko was revealed, kneeling over his groaning uncle. He let out a wordless shout, pressing his palms over his face. Cautiously, they all approached.

"Get away from us!" he roared, turning on them. They all recoiled nervously, but Amaya shook her head.

"Katara," she said, and held out her hand. Katara looked form Zuko to Amaya and nodded in understanding, handing over her skein of water. Amaya took it in both hands and took a cautious step forwards.

"Leave!" he shouted, although it was more like a pained wail, sending a wave of fire spinning over their heads. They ducked, and the others moved to leave.

"Come on, Amaya!" Sokka called.

"No," Amaya said softly, taking another step forwards. He punched, but Amaya simply sidestepped the attack, moving a bit farther forwards.

"Are you crazy?" Sokka demanded. Amaya smiled slightly and thought, _probably a bit._

It was slow progress, dodge, step, dodge, step, but Amaya finally stood a yard away from Zuko despite his attempts to keep her back. He leapt to his feet and with one long step he was right in front of her, gripping her upper arms tightly. Amaya could see smoke drifting from his hands, his grip uncomfortably warm, but she didn't falter, just looked up into his eyes. She could see rage, self-loathing, and guilt in them, and instantly felt her heart go out to him.

"Let her go!" Sokka shouted, drawing back his boomerang to throw. But before he could release, Amaya cut him off.

"No," she said sharply, turning to face him, before her eyes went back to Zuko. "He needs help," she said softly. "I can give it, if you'll let me."

Zuko stared at her and his jaw dropped a bit. Still? After he had just attacked her yet again, still she helped him? And not only him, the only person in this world who really cared for him, and who he cared for in return.

God he loved this girl.

Zuko blinked at that thought. Love? … Maybe. Maybe it was, this feeling he got whenever he saw her, whenever she stretched out a hand in friendship despite what he may have done in the past. But did he really deserve that? Probably not, yet she still did it.

So, very slowly, he nodded. Just once, up and down. He let her go and she smiled at him softly, before stepping past him and kneeling at Iroh's side. He was so close, he could just grab her and be gone… but did he want to?

He knelt on the other side of his uncle, a sharp glare at the friends standing behind her and watching with various expressions of anger, and disbelief, warning them that the invitation to come forwards didn't apply to them. It was only then that Zuko turned his eyes back to Iroh and watched as she pulled the cork from the pouch of water. She waved a hand and the water streamed out, covering her fingers and sliding up to coat her palm. The water began to glow.

Amaya reached out and placed her glowing palm over the injury, concentrating all her last reserves of energy on the burned, puckered skin. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Zuko's hands, clenched on his knees and trembling. She stretched out her free hand and placed it over one of his own, rubbing a soothing circle with her thumb.

Zuko stared at the comforting hand on his own, felt her thumb trailing over his skin. She was shaking with effort, but her grey eyes showed determination as she focused her energy on his uncle. He could see she was tired. She looked awful, with dark bags under her eyes and dirty clothes.

He turned back to his uncle and felt his gut wrench as he saw the man's pained expression. This was all his fault. If he hadn't left, the old man wouldn't have come after him, he wouldn't have been here for Azula to attack. If he had given up his search like his uncle had suggested, Iroh wouldn't be suffering like this right now. His uncle had tried his hardest to help him, and how did he repay him? By getting him injured. Would he even have made it out of here alive if Amaya hadn't been there and so determined to help? He knew that burns could get infected easily, that damaged nerve endings could never be replaced. Had he tried to keep back his uncle's only chance? That thought made him feel even worse.

Amaya removed her hand from Iroh. The skin was still pink and a bit raw-looking, but it was the best she could do. Her vision was flickering. She was in desperate need of sleep, coming crashing down from an adrenaline high, and had just thrown the majority of her energy into a healing, which admittedly wasn't her forte. It was a miracle she had lasted that long.

"That's all I can do," she said softly, pulling her hand away from Zuko and placing them both in her lap. They locked eyes across Iroh's body.

"Why do you do this?" he asked softly, uncomfortably aware of her friends standing behind her and straining to hear every word. She looked at him, eyes saying everything she couldn't in front of the others.

_Because I care about you._

She stood to leave and Zuko stood as well, grabbing her wrist. He had her, she had healed Iroh, there was nothing stopping him. He could take the other three, he was confident.

But then she turned at looked at him, her eyes pleading. She swayed dangerously and he instinctively caught her as she slumped into his arms. He wordlessly guided her over to her friends and passed her to the Water Tribe girl.

"Thanks," she said shortly.

"Come on," Amaya said, gesturing with a weak smile to her friends. "Let's go guys."

They all left together and Amaya passed Katara's water back to her.

"I saw that," Katara whispered into Amaya's ear, too soft for Sokka or Toph to hear.

"Saw what?" Amaya hissed back just as quietly.

"That look. You… you really love him, don't you?"

Amaya nodded helplessly.

They made it back to Appa and he carried them as far as he could, before they all collapsed and slept that day and most of the next away.


	7. In Which Amaya Gets to Do Some Teaching

**I managed to find the time to crank this out. I'm not sure how I feel about it, but it was pretty rushed, so I'm pleased, I guess. Things are still kind of crazy and updates are going to be sporadic for the next few weeks. But I have plotted everything out in my head, and we'll have our big romantic confession in five chapters! Eeep, I'm excited!**

* * *

Amaya was beyond excited. Her first Earthbending lesson! Okay, admittedly it had never been her favorite bending discipline, but still! Earthbending!

She was up at the crack of dawn, hopping around and jabbering, and just annoying Sokka in general.

"Gooood morning, Earthbending student!" Toph announced, sending the sides of her rock tent flying.

"Morning, Sifu Toph," Amaya grinned, bowing formally.

"Hey," Katara protested. "You never called me Sifu Katara."

"Do you think I should?" Amaya asked, cocking her had curiously.

Sokka sat up, grumbling inarticulately and glaring at the world in general.

"Sorry snoozles, we'll do our Earthbending as quietly as possible," Toph said jokingly. She kicked the ground and a column of dirt flung Sokka into the air. He screamed as he went up and came down in the middle of the fire pit, thankfully cold. He hopped up and bounced over to Amaya, growling in her face before doing the same to Toph and hopping away to find a quiet place to sleep.

"What do we start with?" Amaya asked excitedly. "Avalanches, earthquakes?"

Toph frowned and held out a hand. "Hold on, Twinkle Toes. Let's start with moving a rock."

"Okay," Amaya grinned, bouncing after Toph. Katara followed after them, perching daintily on a ledge to watch curiously. Toph stomped and two large rocks shot out of the ground, landing in front of her and Amaya.

"Earthbending is all about your stance," Toph said, sinking into a wide-legged stance with her fists facing up at waist level. "It has to be steady and strong. Rock is a stubborn element. You have to be alike a rock yourself." She reached out a hand and shoved Amaya, who immediately staggered.

"Rockiness, check," Amaya grinned, taking the stance again and this time going lower, planting her feet.

"Good," Toph said. "Now, the actual motion for this is pretty simple." She presented her side to the rock, stepped, and punched with one hand. The rock shot off and shattered against the canyon wall.

"Okay," Amaya nodded. She mimicked Toph's stance, taking a strong step and punching. Suddenly she was speeding backwards. She slammed into Appa's side and face-planted, groaning.

"Hah, rock beats Airbender," Sokka joked. Amaya raised a hand and pointed at him. A thin shot of air knocked him off his ledge and sent him flying.

"No comments from the peanut gallery, thanks," she grumbled, standing up and brushing herself off before walking back over to Toph.

"I don't get what went wrong," Katara said, frowning. "He did it just like you said."

"Maybe I should come at it from a different angle," Amaya though, walking around the rock.

"No!" Toph said sharply. "That's your problem, you're thinking like an Airbender. There is no different angle, no clever solution, no trickety-trick that's gonna move that rock! You just have to face it head on. And when I say head on, I mean like this!" Toph ran and jumped, slamming her forehead into the rock. It shattered under the pressure and Amaya recoiled.

"Holy ostrich horse," she muttered. "Head on, apply directly to forehead."

Toph walked away and Katara chased after her.

"Hey Toph, I've been training with Amaya for a while now, and she works better with positive words. If she's not getting something, maybe a gentle nudge in the right direction," Katara suggested.

"A gentle nudge," Toph said, and it sounded a bit like her 'pitiful blind girl' voice. That alone should have been a tipoff. "Thanks Katara, I'll try that."

"Keep your knees high Twinkle Toes!" Toph roared.

Amaya flinched and staggered under the weight of the giant rock she was supporting on her back as the earth began rising under her feet and trying to throw her off. Strength wasn't her strong suit to begin with. Thrown in the challenge of the earth under her feet and she knew she was screwed. It was only a matter of time before she finally tipped over and dropped the rock.

Toph rubbed her hands together when she did, and Amaya cowered in fear.

The next training involved, digging your hand into rock. Toph flexed her fingers and punched down five or six times, burrowing deep. Amaya tried, and drew back with a yelp, clutching her hand.

"I think I broke something," she whimpered.

She was standing there, sweating with nervousness in her Earthbending stance, looking around fearfully. Toph suddenly leapt from the ground to her right and screamed, "Rock me!"

She wasn't rocked. Amaya toppled over, yelping in surprise, and lay on the ground blinking. Toph kicked her up with a push from the rock under her and flicked her in the face.

After a brief struggle with Sokka, Toph procured his cudgel and handed it to a blindfolded Amaya. She proceeded to raise columns around her for Amaya to track and then hit. She missed the first three, swinging wildly, before Toph placed one right in front of her. Amaya swung the cudgel with a grunt and broke the column in half. Sifu Toph nodded approvingly.

Amaya was honestly terrified Toph was going to try and crush her when she raised two high walls on either side of them. Toph instead drew a line in the dirt in front of her and surrounded herself in rocks. Amaya just gaped at her, floundering for what to do when rock-Toph came sliding towards her. She connected and Amaya braced her hands on Toph's chest pushing back determinedly. Toph slowly slid back. Amaya felt it as Toph added more pressure, but she kept pushing, sliding her over the line.

The next training involved Amaya standing on the top of two columns in her stance, throwing a weight of rock up and catching it in her other hand while maintaining her stance.

"Rocking!" Toph shouted, before slamming the pillars. They vibrated sharply, cracking a bit under Toph's strength, but they held, and so did Amaya, standing perched on top of the columns. Toph rose up beside her on her own column and nodded once. Amaya grinned.

"Now, instead of moving a rock, you're going to stop a rock," Toph said. "Get in your horse stance!" she barked. Amaya slid into her stance and Toph pointed to a huge rock on the top of the steep incline of the canyon walls. "See that rock? I'm going to roll it down at you, and if you have the attitude of an Earthbender, you'll stop it. Like this!" Toph demonstrated the move.

"Er, Toph?" Katara asked, stepping forwards nervously. "Are you sure this is the best way to teach Amaya Earthbending?"

"I'm glad you said something, Katara," Toph said. She snatched Amaya's sash and tied it around her eyes. "Now you'll really have to feel the vibrations to stop the rock. Thanks Katara."

"Yeah, thanks Katara," Amaya grumbled.

"Heh," Katara said ruefully.

Toph walked up the incline and pushed the rock down, crossing her arms and looking down imperiously as it rolled towards Amaya. Amaya, for her part, was terrified. If that connected, or she couldn't completely stop it, she could be crushed, or at the very least break a bone. Her nerve failed her and she jumped, passing over the rock as it rolled under her and landing on the ground beside its path. She removed her sash to see Toph charging at her, furious.

"What was that?" Toph demanded.

"I panicked," Amaya admitted. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

"Yeah, you panicked!" Toph snapped. "You had a perfect stance and a perfect form and you blew it! If you aren't going to stop the rock, as least give it the pleasure of letting it squish you instead of jumping out of the way like a jelly-boned wimp! Now, do you have what it takes to face that rock like an Earthbender?"

"No," Amaya said truthfully. "I… don't think I do."

"Amaya, it's okay," Katara said soothingly. "You'll take a break and come back to Earthbending when you're ready. Besides, there's lots of Waterbending we can work on."

"Yeah, that'd be nice," Amaya said sadly, letting Katara lead her away towards the river flowing through the canyon.

"Yeah, go splash around until you feel better!" Toph shouted after them.

Katara and Amaya stripped down to their breast bindings and underskirts and stepped into the water. They began a sort of game, working in tandem to pass a stream of water back and forth in a perfect circle.

"You know this block you're having is only temporary, right?" Katara ventured.

"I don't want to talk about it," Amaya sighed, swaying and sending the water back to Katara.

"That's the problem though, isn't it? If you just-"

"I know I know I know!" Amaya shouted, letting the water fall. She smacked at the stream with an agitated hand. "I have to face the problem head on like a rock! But I can't do it! I don't know why I can't do it, but I just can't!"

"Amaya," Katara said. "If fire and water are opposites, then what's the opposite of air?"

"Earth, I suppose."

"Right. That's why it's so hard for you to figure this out. But you'll get it, I know you will." Behind her back, Katara secretly broke off a reed. "Think fast!"

Amaya reacted instantly and raised a blade of water from the stream, slicing the plant in half lengthways and sending the halves flying past her.

"Excellent," Katara praised. "You have the reflexes of a Waterbending Master."

"Thanks Katara," Amaya grinned, then corrected herself. "_Sifu_ Katara." She gave the girl a traditional bow.

* * *

Amaya was meditating, trying to find a way to overcome this block she was having with her Earthbending.

"Hey Amaya, I found these nuts in your bag, and I figured you wouldn't mind." Toph sat down near her. "And even if you did, you're too much of a pushover to do anything about it."

Amaya smirked. So that was her game? Make her angry enough to try and Earthbend again? Well, she'd like to think she had a little more self-discipline than that.

"That's fine Toph," Amaya said. "I don't mind to share my things with you guys."

"Really?" Toph asked. "That's good. Because I have this great new nutcracker."

Amaya's eyes opened and she turned, sensing severe badness. She was right. Toph was holding her glider over the nuts, grinning wickedly.

"Er, actually Toph, I'd rather you didn't-"

_Crack._

"It's an antique-"

_Crack._

"Hand-crafted by the monks-"

_Crack._

"It's a delicate instrument!"

"It's not the only delicate instrument around here."

Amaya gritted her teeth and glared as Toph walked away laughing, banging her glider on rocks as she passed.

"Hey Amaya, I-"

"Meditating!" Amaya snapped, turning to Katara. Her glare softened when she saw the other girl's worried expression.

"I'm really worried," Katara said. "It's sunset, and Sokka's not back yet. I think we should go look for him."

"It'll go faster if we split up," Amaya said, and they both darted off in different direction. Amaya went down the river, wandering down a ledge as she looked from side to side for a sign of Sokka.

"Amaya!"

She turned to see Sokka with his hair sticking out randomly trapped up to his neck in a crevasse in the ground.

"Sokka!" she shouted and ran over to him.

"Have you got any meat?"

"Er, no?"

"Well, can you get me out?"

Amaya bent down and grabbed his protruding hands a sharp tug, leaning back and pushing with her legs.

"Stop, stop!" Sokka yelled. "You're going to pull my fingers off, and I don't think that the rest of me is coming."

"Maybe I can Airbend you out," Amaya mused, cramming a bunch of air into the crevasse. Sokka not had a Mohawk, but he was no closer to being free than before, and now he had the added bonus of having his boomerang and machete land on his head.

"Ow! Seriously Amaya, I know you're new at it, but I could really use some Earthbending right now!"

"I can't," Amaya said, turning away shame-facedly. "I can't do it."

"If you can't to it, then go get Toph."

"I can't do that either."

"Why not?" Sokka protested.

"It would be really… uncomfortable."

"Gee, wouldn't want you to be _uncomfortable_..."

"Thanks, Sokka," Amaya said, sitting down next to him. "You know, this Earthbending thing has me in a really awkward position."

"Awkward position. Huh. How about that?"

"Everyone expects me to get it right away, but I just don't understand. If I try, I fail, but if I don't try, I'll never have a chance of getting it. It's got me between a rock and hard place."

"Huh. Wonder what that's like. Hey Amaya, meet my new friend. Amaya, this is Foo-Foo-Cuddly-Poops. Foo-Foo-Cuddly-Poops, this is Amaya."

Amaya looked down to see a baby saber-toothed moose lion. She picked it up and cuddled it close.

"Aww, what a cute name for a baby saber-toothed moose lion!" she cooed. Sokka looked up at her and blinked.

"Really? He looks nothing like a saber-toothed moose lion."

"Yeah," Amaya nodded expertly. "It's hard to tell before the giant horns and razor sharp teeth grow in. Hey, what are you doing out here little guy? Did you lose your momma?"

A growl sounded from the bushes.

"Found her," Sokka gulped. Amaya blanched.

"Oh dear. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear ohdear ohdear."

"What's wrong?" Sokka asked quietly.

"Well, saber-toothed moose lion mothers are extremely vicious when someone handles their young."

"How vicious?"

"Let's put it this way. They make polar bear dogs look like cuddly little poodle ponies."

"Oh," Sokka said, gulping again. "You're sure? I mean, that couldn't be some other animal you're thinking of?"

"Zoology freak, remember?"

"Oh yeah. Darn."

"Exactly."

Amaya raised her head, but kept her gaze lowered, mimicking the stance of a submissive saber-toothed moose lion. She stepped forwards and placed the baby on the ground. It ran over to its mother and dove into the bushes behind her after a quick sniff check.

"See, no problem," Amaya said, keeping her voice low and soothing. "You have your baby back."

"Amaya this is bad! You've got to get me out of here!" Sokka shouted, his voice the exact opposite of what you wanted when dealing with a wild saber-toothed moose lion. It was loud, high, and excited. It was that that triggered the charge. Amaya Airbended quickly, lifting the saber-toothed moose lion gently under the stomach and letting it continue its charge over Sokka's head, it's claws brushing his head, and setting it down gently. Rough treatment would just make it angrier, and thus more dangerous.

"Amaya, you have to Earthbend me out of here!" Sokka insisted. Amaya looked at him helplessly and took her stance, knowing in her heart it wouldn't work. She went through a few of the motions Toph had taught her earlier, but Sokka remained stuck, and the saber-toothed moose lion was readying for another charge.

Amaya jumped onto a nearby pillar and shouted, "Yoo hoo! Over here! Look at me!" She waved her arms, making herself look like as big a target as possible. The saber-toothed moose lion was more interested in Sokka, however, charging at him. Amaya was afraid of that. Sokka presented the lesser challenge, so he would be handled first. She jumped down and blasted the moose away. It came towards them determinedly again, but Amaya fired directly at it, knocking it onto its rear and sending it skidding backwards. The animal rose and seemed to decide that they weren't worth the challenge. It ventured off into the bushes after its child.

Amaya looked up as she heard slow clapping. Toph was sitting on a rock nearby, smirking and applauding.

"What are you doing here?" Sokka demanded.

"Watching."

"How long have you been here?" Amaya demanded angrily.

"Pretty much the whole time."

"Well why didn't you get involved? Sokka was in trouble, and I was too! You could have Earthbended him out and helped us get away!"

"Guess it just didn't occur to me," she shrugged, tossing a nut on the ground. She raised Amaya's glider to crack it, and Amaya saw red.

"That's it," she said, stepping forwards and grabbing the tool on its downswing. "I want my staff back."

To her surprise, Toph released it willingly and jumped down to go nose-to-nose with her.

"Do it!" she commanded. Amaya blinked.

"Do what?"

"Earthbend Twinkle Toes! Do it now! You just stood your ground to a crazy beast, and even more impressive, you stood your ground against me. You've got the stuff kid."

"I am four years older than you," Amaya pointed out.

"Do it!"

Amaya sighed and took her stance. Suddenly, she felt that she could do it. Toph was right, she had just faced down a charging wild animal, she had faced down Toph _herself_, who was nothing to shrug at either. She'd be damned if she was going to let a rock beat her. She stepped forwards and punched at a rock. It went flying across to smash into the canyon wall.

"Congrats Twinkle Toes, you're an Earthbender."

"I did it!" Amaya cheered.

"Aw, isn't this just a wonderful, touching moment?" Sokka said. "Why don't one of you _get me out_ so I can give you a big, snuggly hug?"

"No problem!" Amaya grinned, stepping towards him, but Toph cut her off.

"Actually, I should probably be the one to do that. You're still pretty new to this, you might accidently crush him."

"Yeah, no crushing please."

Toph stomped and Sokka was pushed out up to his knees. Toph seized his hair and dragged him out the rest of the way, walking back towards the camp. Amaya rolled her eyes and helped Sokka up, and they all went back to camp.

"Sokka!" Katara shouted when she saw them. "You found him!"

She hugged her brother.

"You know," Sokka began sagely. "The whole time I was in that hole, not knowing if I would live or die… It makes a man think about what's important."

"Hey Katara, look what I can do!" Amaya grinned, punching and knocking the top half of a column off.

"You did it!" Katara cheered. "I knew you could." She looked sideways at Toph. "You tried the positive reinforcement thing, didn't you?"

"Yup," Toph said. "It worked wonders."

Appa wandered up to them and Amaya ran to him. "Hey Appa, I can Earthbend. They key is being physically and mentally rooted, completely immovable."

Appa licked her and shoved her onto her face. Sokka burst out laughing.

"Appa, you are so not helping me out here," she grumbled into the ground. "Sokka, I _will_ stick you in another hole!"

That shut him up.

"So, more Earthbending tomorrow?" Toph asked. Amaya grinned evilly.

"Oh no. Tomorrow is my revenge. Tomorrow I'm teaching you and Katara about pressure points."

Katara paled. "Hey Amaya, I didn't make training too hard, did I?"

Amaya just grinned. And that night, she dreamed.

_She was on top of a mountain, rain pelting down on her and lightning crackling in the sky above. Next to her, Zuko was standing there staring at the sky._

"_You've always thrown everything you could at me! Well I can take it!" he shouted at the sky. "And now I can give it back!" Lightning flashed. "Come on! Strike me!"_

_Amaya blinked. Was he crazy?_

"_You've never held back before!"_

_Zuko and Amaya both waited with baited breath, for entirely different reasons. When nothing happened, Zuko threw up his hands and screamed before collapsing to the ground, tears trailing down his face. Amaya moved to his side. She fiercely believed that he heard and felt her when she dreamed like this, so she got to her knees beside him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulling him against her chest. He complied, leaning forwards. _

"_It's okay," she said, rubbing his back and combing through his short hair soothingly. "Shh, shh, it's alright Zuko, it's alright. You told me once, you've had to suffer and fight and it's made you strong. But you don't always have to be the one fighting. Sometimes it's okay to let others fight for you."_

* * *

Zuko knelt there on top of the mountain, tears leaking from under his eyes. He cried for his uncle's pain, for the loss of his honor, for everything he had been through and everything he knew was still to come. He cried for all his confusion, and all he'd had to do that he now regretted.

It was strange, but he felt warm skin around his shoulders, like someone was holding him. This had happened before randomly. He felt the Avatar's presence, could hear her voice, but she was never there. This time was different though, the presence was stronger. The warmth pressed on him, enough that he actually leaned forwards. His cheek pressed against warmth. Soft hands ran along his back and through his hair.

Warm breath ghosted against his ear and he heard a voice speaking to him.

"It's okay. Shh, shh, it's alright Zuko, it's alright. You told me once, you've had to suffer and fight and it's made you strong. But you don't always have to be the one fighting. Sometimes it's okay to let others fight for you."

* * *

Amaya woke up, shaken sharply awake by Katara.

"Come on Sifu Amaya, time for us to be your students," she grinned. Toph and Sokka were standing over her, staring down. Amaya sat up, yawning.

"For future reference, it's a little creepy to have you all hovering like that."

"Told you," Toph muttered.

"So, the joys of pressure points!" Amaya grinned, sliding out of her sleeping bag and standing up.

"Teach us," Katara said.

"Okay," Amaya said, taking a deep breath. "I'm not going to hand you a detailed instruction manual about pressure point fighting, because most of what I know is theory. That should be enough that you guys can hold your own against pinky."

"No fighting?" Toph asked. "Well this isn't going to be fun."

Amaya sighed. "I think we'll start with the three type. The first is level 1. These are the most basic, and the ones people are most often aware of. These pressure points require the application of pain. The point of them is making your opponent focus on the sudden pain instead of you, if sometimes not for very long. Basically, they're a distraction. They're best used if you can't move around enough to build up the strength for an actual blow. The biggest problem with these comes when facing people conditioned to face pain."

"So, if those kind get a hold of you, you're done, that's it?" Sokka asked. "Pfft, these seem useless."

"Well, yes. But because this kind if all over the body, you can usually strike one easily going into a fight to find out if the person will respond or not. The most common location for these is along the edge of a bone. Running your foot up and down the edge of the shin bone, for example.

"Next is level 2. They only last about half a second, so you have to know going in what the reaction is going to be. These pressure points all deal with muscles, and are usually activated with a fist with the first knuckle extended. The most basic example is running your knuckle along the lateral line just off the center of the chest. This can cause a person to not only back up, but bend their knees, push their hips back, drop their weight, and deaden their arms.

"The last kind, level 3, are reflex points. They work all the time, if you do it correctly. The others can be defended against if someone knows what they're doing, but these can't."

"So why not always use them?" Katara asked.

"Because you can combine them with others to cause even more damage, and the others can be used to open an opponent up to other attacks. So, reflex pressure points. You can trigger the gag reflex with a sharp prod right in here," Amaya said, turning and lifting her braid and pointing to the lower part of the back of her neck. "Toph, I'm pointing to the lower part of the back of my neck."

"But I thought you could do some serious damage there," Sokka frowned.

"No, actually. There's thick ribs of cartilage under the skin. The person will back up. How much depends upon the speed and strength of your attack. It's actually possible to make a person throw themselves at a wall with all their strength like this. You can add pain to that by running your finger along the bone there. There's tons of different reflex points. Points that drop blood pressure, trigger instinctive responses in the brain, ruin balance, or decrease the ability to breath. That was Amaya's crash course on pressure points. Thank you, and now everyone upright," she said with a grin and a bow.

Everyone stood, staring at her curiously. "Airbenders have an advantage against these sort of opponents, because from a young age we're taught to move with the flow of battle. Basically, we circle. Because of this, we're good at dodging, and we're hard to get a hold of."

Amaya taught them a few exercises they could do to improve their 'circular technique,' then it was back on Appa and off to the next day.

* * *

**Okay, time's been short lately, too short to write an actual chapter. But I don't want to leave you all hanging like I have been, so here's what I'm going to do. Drop me a review or PM me with questions you have, or challenges or ideas for one-shots you'd like to see with the gang, and I'll do what i can to write and answer them in Amaya's Snippets. Seriously, anything's welcome, from 'What's Amaya's favorite color?' to 'Write a drabble about Amaya and Gyatso.' Everybody cool? This will keep going even when things are back on schedule, so feel free to keep it coming! I'll PM you back when your submission is complete so you know to check it out. And hey, when you're reviewing with that stuff, maybe you could, uh, tell me what you think... maybe... could you? I'm a writer, I need feedback to live!**


	8. In Which Owls Get Stingy With Knowledge

**So after some severe finagling, my schedule had freed up far sooner than I thought it would, and I'm able to post normally again, so here's a double chapter update to celebrate! This one was fun to write, this is one of my favorite episodes.  
**

* * *

"What is out here?" Sokka demanded, staring around at the staggering lack of… anything out in the plain. In the distance one could see the edges of cliffs and bluffs, and there was a sparse covering of grass, but aside from that the place was rather lacking in scenery.

"What's out here?" Toph repeated, placing a hand on the ground. "A lot actually."

"Shh!" Amaya hissed, flapping her hands at her for all the good it did. "I know you know Toph, but don't ruin the surprise!"

"What surprise?" Katara asked curiously. "There's nothing here but a bunch of holes."

"Ah ah," Amaya cautioned, grinning. She reached under her shawl and plucked out a thin reed flute.

"Where did you get that?" Sokka demanded. "Amaya, did you go on a secret shopping trip?"

"I made it," Amaya snorted. "From a reed. You know, Airbender, wind instrument. It's sort of a no-brainer for me. But watch."

She raised the flute to her lips and arranged her fingers delicately over the holes. She exhaled and a long, high note burst out of the flute. A singing groundhog popped out of the ground and sang the note before diving back underground. Amaya laughed joyfully and played a few more notes, each triggering a response from one of the animals.

"I'm putting together an orchestra," she grinned.

"An orchestra? Well la dee da," Sokka said. Three groundhogs jumped up and echoed the notes. Amaya played a few more notes, triggering laughs from Katara. She was just about to play an actual song, when Sokka stuck his finger in the end of her flute. She frowned at him.

"That's great and all, but we have more important things to do!" he insisted. "We should be making a plan!"

"We do have a plan," Toph reminded him. "We're all picking mini-vacations."

"There's no time for vacations!"

"Look Sokka," Amaya sighed, rubbing her forehead. "I've been training my arrow off. I practice every day with Toph and Katara. I'm learning the elements as fast as I can, so what more can I do? What's wrong with a little fun in our downtime?"

"Mm hmm, yeah, and even if you do master the elements, then what? Are we just going to fly west until we hit the Fire Lord's house? Knock knock, Fire Lord, up for a revolutionary battle? No, okay, we'll come back tomorrow. If we're going to win this war, we need some intelligence!"

"We'll finished out our mini-vacations and then look for Sokka's intelligence," Katara smirked. Laughs all around, minus a glaring Sokka.

Amaya played one last note before tucking away her flute and pulling out map. She unrolled it and held it out. "Okay, Katara, your turn. Your mini-vacation destination is…?"

"Oh, how about the Misty Palms Oasis?" Katara smiled. "It sounds refreshing."

"Oh, I've been there!" Amaya nodded. "It's this pristine natural ice spring, and I'm not one for the word pristine, so that's saying something."

"Huh," she said, staring at the grungy town with a tiny glacier in the middle. "Pristine doesn't mean what it used to mean."

They stepped inside the town not a moment too soon, for the instant they did, the sign came crashing down right behind them. They recovered quickly however, and wandered through the town towards the chunk of ice. Flies buzzed around it, a dog licking at the side. Shaking her head, Amaya went towards the nearest building who's sign proclaimed it to be a restaurant. There were several grungy men standing outside wrapped in fabric with slitted masks. Too keep the sand out of their eyes and hair, she remembered Gyatso explaining when he brought her here.

She stepped inside and blinked. The place was definitely a dive, filled with the smell of drink and sweat. A man was passed out asleep at a table with his hand wrapped around a half-finished glass of some kind of liquor. The most interesting part was the man behind the counter, who was preparing a drink with some fast-paced slices from a pair of swords, scooping the fruit chunks into an ice bowl and plopping in a straw and umbrella.

"I don't see anything wrong with having one of those fruity beverages while we wait," Sokka said, pushing past her to race for the counter. Unfortunately, Amaya staggered a bit when he moved past and she ended up right in the path of the man leaving with his drink. Cold mango chunks squished down her front and the bowl went flying, cracking on the hard stone floor below.

"No worries," she said unconcernedly. "I air dry in seconds." She shoved a circle of air out away from her, whipping away all the remains of the drink. The man gaped at her.

"You're a living relic!" he praised.

Amaya blinked. Well, she'd been called everything from annoying to zesty, but that was a new one. "Thanks," the grinned. "I try."

"A real live Air Nomad," he mused. "Right in front of me." He bowed and Amaya responded. "Professor Zei, Head of Anthropology from Ba Sing Se University." He seized her hand, poking at one of the arrows. 'Tell me, which Air Temple do you hail from?"

"Erm, the Southern one?" Amaya blinked and froze as her began taking some sort of measurements of her head with a pointy device that quite frankly stung a bit.

"Superb! Tell me, what was the primary agricultural product of your people?"

Amaya blinked and thought a bit. Agriculture was a bit difficult on a mountain. "Do fruit pies count? Because we were sort of known for them. Or rather, throwing them at people."

"Fascinating! That's one for the journal."

"So Professor Zei, you seem like a well-travelled, intelligent guy," Sokka said, slipping into the conversation. "You wouldn't happen to have a more current map, would you? Ours is a little dated." He looked pointedly at Amaya, who stuck out her tongue.

"Certainly!" the scholar said, whipping out a map and placing it on a nearby table. Sokka unrolled it curiously and groaned.

"Ugh, no Fire Nation? Does anybody have a good map of that place?"

"You seem to have made a few trips into the desert," Katara observed, tracing the drawn-in routes with one finger.

"Oh yes," Zei nodded. "I've discovered ancient civilizations all over the Earth Kingdom, but I haven't managed to find the piece de resistance! Wan Shi Tong's Library."

"So let me get this straight," Toph said, reclining at the table with her feet up and a cold drink in hands. "You've been wandering through the desert looking for some guy's library?"

"That library is worth more than gold, little lady. It's said to contain a vast storehouse of knowledge, and knowledge… is priceless."

"I think he's getting teary," Amaya muttered. Sokka snorted.

"Sounds like good times," Toph said, rolling her eyes sarcastically.

"Oh, it is!" Zei said happily. "Legend says that the library was built by the knowledge spirit Wan Shi Tong, with the help of his foxy knowledge seekers."

"So he had some attractive assistants?" Sokka grinned.

"I think he means they looked like actual foxes," Katara corrected.

"You're both right," Zei clarified. "Handsome little creatures. The knowledge seekers collected books from all over the world and put them on display for everyone to read, so that we might better ourselves."

"So do you think this library might have info on the Fire Nation, like a map, maybe?" Sokka asked eagerly.

"I don't know. But if a place did have such a thing, it would be Wan Shi Tong's Library."

"Then it's settled," Sokka said. "Amaya, I'd like to spend my mini-vacation _at the library!"_

"Hey, what about me?" Toph protested. "When do I get to pick?"

"You have to work here a little bit longer before you qualify for vacation time," Sokka grinned.

"the problem is finding it," Zei sighed. "I've been out into the Si Wong desert several times, and each time I almost died. That desert is impassable."

Sokka shared a meaningful look. "Professor, would you like to see our sky bison?"

"A sky bison? You actually have one?"

Amaya nodded and gestured for the man to follow them out into the open. He bounced eagerly beside her, straining to get a look at Appa. They arrived outside only to find Appa being approached by several of the fabric-wrapped men. The bison was backing up and growling angrily.

"Back off!" Amaya shouted, whipping her hand fiercely and blasting them away from Appa. They got up and brushed themselves off, slinking away and muttering angrily.

"Sandbenders," Zei grumbled, before becoming absorbed in Appa.

"Hop on and we'll go," Amaya grinned.

"You mean I can ride him?" Zei asked, looking as if he might cry with happiness.

"That's what they're used for," she nodded. He climbed up eagerly, followed by the others, and they were soon up in the air, Sokka tying his shirt into a rough turban while Zei talked to Appa.

"Tell me sky bison, are you the last of your kind?" Appa groaned. "Delightful! Oh, if only I spoke his tongue! Oh, the stories this beast could tell." Momo walked up and chattered. "Shh, chatty monkey!"

"Momo's the last of the lemurs too," Amaya added, rubbing the little guy's head fondly. She smiled. "I was there for most of the stories Appa could tell." She examined the drawing of the library. "This thing should stick out like a sore thumb."

Turns out, it didn't. Three hours of flying later and there was no sign of the library.

"Ugh, does this place even exist?" Toph groaned.

"Some say it doesn't."

Her eyes bugged. "Shouldn't you have mentioned that?" she demanded, flopping into the saddle. She sat up a while later.

"There it is!"

They all flew to the side of the saddle and were greeted with the sight of… more desert. Three pairs of eyes glared at Toph.

"That's what it'll sound like when one of you spots it," she said, waving a hand in front of her blind eyes and grinning.

"It shouldn't be this hard to spot a big ornate building from the air," Katara said. "Especially in a desert."

"Down there!" Sokka called, removing the telescope from his eyes and pointing. Amaya looked and saw what he was pointing too, a tall tower poking out of the sand like a finger. She turned Appa and brought him down outside the structure, staring up at it curiously.

"This can't be it," Katara sighed, disappointed. "This building is huge!"

A howl split the air and they turned to see a grey, canine shape appear on top of a dune, a scroll clenched in its teeth. It ran towards the tower, not even pausing at the wall, instead running straight up it and through a window at the very top.

"I think that was one of the knowledge seekers!" Zei squealed happily. "We must be close to the library."

"No," Sokka realized. He drew a line from the tower on top of the building to the tower in front of them. "This is the library. It's completely buried."

"You mean my entire life's work is buried?" Zei moaned, falling to his knees. He abruptly perked up and yanked out a shovel. "Well, time to start excavating!"

"Actually, that won't be necessary," Toph said, placing a hand on the side of the tower. "The inside seems to be completely intact, and it's huge!"

'That fox thing went into through a window," Sokka said. "We can climb in the same way!"

"I don't think I will," Toph shrugged. "I'll wait out here. Let me know if you find anything."

"You have something against libraries?" Katara asked.

"I've _held_ books before, and I gotta tell you, they _don't really do it for me."_

"Oh, right," Katara said, blushing sheepishly. "Sorry."

Sokka was busy tying a rope to his boomerang. He threw the weapon expertly, getting it neatly through the window several stories above. He gave the line an experimental tug to make sure it would hold their weight before climbing up. He was followed by Zei, Katara trailing behind. Amaya hopped onto her glider and soared up. Sokka quickly dumped the rest of the rope down the inside of the tower and they climbed down.

Amaya gaped in open awe. More than anything, one of her favorite pastimes back in the monastery was curling up with a good book and devouring it, usually accompanied by a fruit pie. This place was beautiful ,seemingly a monument to knowledge itself. The inside of the tower was inlaid with gold carvings, intricate scrollwork, and detailed patterns.

Insid the library itself there were countless levels lined with lights, staircases and catwalks leading from level to level and side to side. Owls decorated the columns supporting the top of each level. In fact, the main theme seemed to be owls. That and the sky, as shown by the exquisite cloud mosaic on the inside of the domed roof.

"Oh, look at those buttresses!" Zei cried. "And the composition of that avian symbol motif is just…" He saw the looks he was getting. "Er, nice bird."

The sound of flapping wings accompanied that statement and they all dove behind pillars worriedly. What could be in here?

Amaya peered around the column to see a huge, majestic black and white owl shuffle out of the shadows and move forwards to examine the rope they had climbed in on. It looked around, obviously trying to find them. She winced as its head rotated a hundred and eighty degrees to look back at the pillar.

"I know you're back there," the owl said in a calm and wise, if a bit cool voice.

Professor Zei stepped out, immediately walking up to the owl and bowing respectfully. "I am Professor Zei, Head of Anthropology at Ba Sing Se University."

"I suggest you leave the way you came, if you don't want to become a stuffed Head of Anthropology," the owl said, looking pointedly at a pillar decorated by the stuffed heads of various animals. Zei winced and rubbed his neck.

"Wan Shi Tong," Amaya said, coming out from behind the pillar and standing in front of the owl as Zei had done, though she didn't bow. As an Avatar, she was considered on even footing with the spirits. "Am I correct?"

"You brought this library here from the spirit World?" Sokka asked as he and Katara came forwards as well."

"Yes," he said crisply. "I am Wan Shi Tong, he who knows ten thousand things. And you are obviously humans, who, by the way, are no longer allowed in my study."

"What do you have against humans?" Amaya asked.

Wan Shi Tong humphed. "Humans only bother learning something if it gives them an edge over other humans. Like that Firebender who was here a few years ago, looking for information on how to destroy him enemies. So, who are you trying to destroy?" he demanded, leaning forwards until he was barely an inch from Sokka's face.

"Huh, _us?_ No one! Who would we try to _destroy?_ Heh, that's _crazy talk,_ he heh."

"Then why are you here?" he asked.

"Erm, knowledge for knowledge's sake?" Sokka tried. Wan Shi Tong just blinked at him.

"If you're going to lie to an all-knowing spirit, at least put some effort into it."

"Lie? I'm not lying." He grabbed Amaya and shoved her in front of him. "I'm here with the Avatar, the bridge between our worlds. She'll vouch for me. Come on Amaya, vouch," Sokka hissed.

Amaya sighed. "Sokka, owls hunt at night. They have especially acute hearing. They can hear prey move under a covering of leaves. Their beaks are even pointed downwards to collect more sound. _Whispering isn't going to help."_

"Hm," Wan Shi Tong said, observing her curiously. "In your case, I may perhaps accept the boy's lie as truth."

Amaya beamed, genuinely flattered. "Thank you. And I swear, we won't use the knowledge we find here for violence."

"Very well," Wan Shi Tong allowed. "You may peruse my vast collection. On one condition. To prove yourselves true scholars you must contribute some knowledge."

Zei pulled a book from his pack and dropped to his knee, presenting it to the spirit. "Please take this offering," he said.

Wan Shi Tong looked at it. "Hmm. First edition." He swiped a wing over the book and it vanished. Katara came forwards and proffered one of her Waterbending scrolls.

"I have an authentic Waterbending scroll," she said. Wan Shi Tong looked intrigued.

"Oh, these illustrations are very stylish," he said, repeating the procedure on the scroll.

"Check this out!" Sokka grinned, holding up a piece of string. He knotted it quickly and held it out. "Eh? It's a special knot!"

Wan Shi Tong blinked again. "You're not very bright, are you?"

"We try not to point it out too often," Amaya said, pulling Sokka away as the spirit accepted his offering. "I-" she bit her lip. "I have a collection of Air Nomad proverbs from Monk Gyatso. Could… could I tell you one of them?"

"Do you wish to view my library?" Wan Shi Tong asked, and if he could, she had the feeling he'd be raising an eyebrow and peering down his nose at her.

Amaya pressed the book close to her chest. "I- I do, but…" She looked at the tattered book in her hands. She was surrounded by much more knowledge than she could ever remember, things that could save her life one day or help defeat the Fire Nation instead of just being poignant or philosophical or funny. She'd memorized nearly everything from the book, but it was still her only physical connection to Gyatso.

I have memories, she mused. And I remember the things inside. Is it really right for me to ruin this just because I want to hold onto a few scribbles of a conversation no one else would find interesting?

So, lowering her head sadly, she handed over the book. Wan Shi Tong waved his wing and it vanished from her hand.

"Enjoy my library," he said, before leaping over the edge of the railing and soaring down the levels. They all turned and trudged away.

"Bright enough to trick you," Sokka muttered.

"You didn't trick him," Amaya said absently. "He knows we're lying. But he's going out on a limb and giving us a chance."

Katara grabbed Amaya's hand and gave her a comforting look. She knew how much that book meant to her friend, and how hard it must have been to give it up. It had been difficult enough handing over her Waterbending scroll.

They browsed the shelves, Amaya almost immediately going for books on anatomy or animals, while Sokka headed directly for maps. Katara merely browsed, skimming through anything that caught her interest. Zei had long since vanished amongst the tomes.

"Look at this lion turtle thing," Amaya said, holding up an illustration of a gigantic turtle with feline features and claws standing next to a full-grown man to show its size. "It's huge."

"I've seen bigger," Sokka shrugged, tucking a book into his bag.

"Hey Amaya, did you know in a past life you were left handed?" Katara asked.

"I always knew I was special," she said with a small grin. "I'm going to go look around a bit."

"Okay," Katara shrugged as Sokka wandered off.

Amaya peered down an aisle and saw a book entitled Advanced Bending Maneuvers. Eagerly, she plucked it from the shelf, hoping maybe she could find a move that would give her an edge over the Fire Lord. Then she remembered her promise to Wan Shi Tong. Regretfully, she placed the book back on the shelf and looked around some more, drawing out a book on Ba Sing Se. She scanned a diagram of city, and immediately her mind began working to find weak points. Cursing herself, she pushed it back into place. Was this what her life had become, all fights?

She cast around for a safe topic and saw a section about flowers and herbs. Flowers were safe, right? But they turned out not to be, as she immediately opened to a page about poisons.

_Hmm, that would be easier than actually fighting the Fire…_

Amaya slammed the book shut and jammed it back into place, panting as she leaned against a shelf.

"Cruelty to books is worse than cruelty to humans," said a cool voice. Amaya looked up sharply to see Wan Shi Tong standing at the end of the aisle, looking at her enigmatically.

"Sorry," Amaya apologized. "It's just… we're fighting the fire nation, in all honesty, and no matter what I do, I can't seem to stop think about how I could use this knowledge in that fight. I'm trying to keep my word to you, really I am, but it seems like that's just my whole world now."

Wan Shi Tong blinked at her, and she was expecting the degrading comment that seemed to perpetually follow such a movement.

"You are a true scholar."

"What?" Amaya blinked.

"Humph. True scholars can see the relationships between everything. I don't approve of how you interrelate everything, but the fact that you _can_ is appealing to me. You, unlike your friend, do seem to wish knowledge just for the sake of knowledge."

He waved his wing and Amaya suddenly held a book, a familiar, tattered book. The book she had handed back.

"I can keep it?" she squealed happily.

"You have proven to be a true scholar in another way, albeit an overly sentimental one. Yes, I'm giving you your precious book back. It holds little true value anyway."

Amaya couldn't help it, she jumped at Wan Shi Tong and wrapped her arms around his tightly, burying her face in his feathery chest. He hooted indignantly.

"Release me at once!" he shouted angrily. Amaya stepped back and bowed, blushing.

"Sorry," she apologized. "You're right, I am sentimental."

"Amaya, come on!"

Amaya blinked as Katara, Sokka, and Zei raced past, following a knowledge seeker. She looked at Wan Shi Tong, who sighed.

"Go with your friends, and try to keep them from damaging anything," he said irritably before opening his wings and swooping away. Amaya grinned and chased after them. They were lead to a giant golden disk with different layers of patterns around the side. Small embossed arches lined the bottom of the wall on either side, and the fox ducked into one. There was a moment of silence and the center of the disk rolled away, revealing the fox panting and wagging its tail.

They stepped inside cautiously and gaped. The ceiling was painted with the cloudy blue sky, arching high overhead. The fox pushed a lever next to a column in the center and the day changed to night as the sky went black, a huge metal arch moving a model of the moon across the ceiling in precise coordination with the stars painted there.

"This room is a true marvel!" Zei gaped. "It's a planetarium that shows the movement of the heavens!"

"It's pretty cool, but how is this helpful?" Sokka demanded.

Katara stared at the column. It held several layers, each inscribed with different circles. An arm arched over the entire thing, a column of symbols in the center of two bars.

"Try entering the date from the piece of parchment you too," she suggested. Sokka hushed her immediately.

"Not in front of the fox, he's with the owl!"

The fox whimpered and lowered its ears sadly. Amaya knelt behind it and rubbed its head affectionately. It rolled over, presenting its belly to be rubbed. "Sokka, foxes have great hearing too. They can hear a watch ticking from forty yards away."

"Why can everything here hear so well?" Sokka moaned.

"That's the whole point!" Amaya said, throwing her hands up. "They know what happens anywhere in the library. You can't sneak here, Sokka! Just do it already!"

Sokka consulted the paper inside his bag and adjusted the dials accordingly.

"What's all this about anyway?" Amaya asked Katara.

"Something about the Fire Nation's darkest day," she said, both of them watching in awe as the sky changed once more.

"Gotta say Sokka, so far you've got the best mini-vacation award," Amaya grinned, just as the machine stopped. The sky was covered in clouds, but the lights were still dim.

"You broke it!" Katara said.

"No," Amaya said breathlessly. "It's amazing…"

"The sun's behind the moon," Sokka said, getting it as well. "A full solar eclipse! It's _literally_ the darkest day!"

"Not just literally," Amaya said, shaking her head. "A full solar eclipse. Think. Waterbenders draw their energy to the moon, and Firebenders draw theirs from the sun. If you take away the moon, Waterbenders can't bend, we saw that in the North Pole. If you take away the sun…"

"The Firebenders can't bend either!" Katara exclaimed, getting it.

"Solar eclipses only occur once every eighteen months," Amaya mused, running through what she remembered from astronomy books. "Of those, most are only partial, and they only last six to seven and a half minutes. Still… A lot can happen in six minutes." Immediately she felt guilty. Could she really not think of anything besides applications in fights?

"We need to get this information to the Earth king at Ba Sing Se!" Sokka exclaimed. "Whenever the next eclipse is, we can mount an attack! The fire Nation will be defenseless. This is a game-changer. The Fire Lord is going down."

"Mortals are so predictable. And such horrible liars." Wan Shi Tong towered over Sokka. "You have betrayed my trust. From the beginning you intended to use this knowledge for evil purposes."

"You don't understand, if anyone's evil, it's the Fire Lord!" Sokka protested. "You saw what they did to your library, they're destructive and dangerous! We _need_ this information!"

"No one is evil Sokka," Amaya said softly. "We all have both light and dark inside us. What matters is the force we chose to act on."

"Your friend is correct. You think you're the first person to believe their war was justified?" Wan Shi Tong demanded. "Countless others have come here before you, seeking weapons and weaknesses and battle strategies."

"There is nothing I can say to excuse our actions," Amaya said, bowing humbly before the spirit. "I can only say that our purpose in using it is to protect those we love, and ask that you understand."

"I do understand!" Wan Shi Tong thundered, spreading his wings and flapping them thunderously. "So I'm protecting what I love! I'm taking my knowledge back, so that it can never again be used for violent purposes!"

"He's sinking the library!" Katara shouted as sand began to pour into the room. "We have to go!"

"Oh, I can't allow that," Wan Shi Tong said, extending his head to grotesque proportions. "You already know too much."

He attacked. They ran.

They careened around corners and ducked under falling books as the library shook and sank, sand leaking inside. The spirit followed them, crashing heedlessly through columns, but Amaya noticed that not a single scroll was disturbed by his passing. As they ran across a bridge, Zei stopped and turned to face the spirit.

"Great knowledge seeker, please do not destroy your priceless collection of incredible tomes!" he begged. Wan Shi Tong shrieked in response, the elegant, aloof scholar gone and replaced by an angry spirit protecting its domain.

"He won't!" Amaya shouted as she sucked the scholar back towards them. "He loves knowledge too much, he's just taking it back to the Spirit World!" She took a horse stance and raised her arms firmly, erecting a wall in front of them. The winced as she heard the bird crash into it was an angry, pained squawk.

"We still don't know when the next eclipse is," Sokka shouted, stopping as well.

"Are you crazy, we'll find out later!" Katara shouted.

"No we won't! Katara, take Momo to the surface and get out! Amaya, come with me, I need cover."

"Sokka…"

Wan Shi Tong burst around the corner.

"Go!"

Amaya collapsed into the sand outside, panting. It had been a bare thing. Finding the date had actually been the easy part. They just had to calculate forwards in increments of eighteen months until they found the date before Sozin's Comet. They had checked to make sure, and they were right. Then they had to escape Wan Shi Tong. Amaya had ended up carting Sokka and Katara out just ahead of the spirit's grasping beak. She felt sorry for the professor, but she could understand. If she was correct, he would now be a spirit in the greatest library in both worlds, wandering and content. She chuckled as she remembered Sokka's last words to Wan Shi Tong.

"That's called Sokka Style! Learn it!"

She sat up and shook her head to clear the stars. The first thing she noticed was the startling lack of a sky bison. The second was Toph curled miserably near the crater that was all that was left of the library.

"Toph?" she asked softly. "What happened to Appa?"

"Sandbenders," the little girl said, shaking her head miserably. "They came while I was holding up the tower, I couldn't help you both, I…"

Amaya's heart left to her throat. Appa… kidnapped? No. But Toph… She must feel horrible. Nothing could be done for Appa at the moment, but he was next on her list. For the moment, Toph was the priority.

"Toph, it's okay," she soothed, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder and wiping away her tears hastily. "We'll get him back. And you had enough trouble on your hands. Toph, I don't know if you realize this, but you just fought off an angry spirit for nearly fifteen minutes. That's amazing!"

"But I lost Appa."

"And you'll help us get him back," she said, kneeling and hugging her. "For now, just revel in the fact that you're the greatest Earthbender the world has ever seen."


	9. In Which Someone Doesn't Like Amaya

Amaya knew it was stupid, but she didn't want them to see her like this. She could feel it inside her, just waiting for her control to slip so it could rush forwards. The Avatar State was just one slip away, and Katara…. If Amaya had anything to say about it, neither she nor Sokka would ever see her like that again. Toph would never see it, ever. The next one to see it would be the Fire Lord and then _would he see it_.

Appa…

She let out a strangled sob. Appa, who had always been there for her. He was an animal, a source of transportation, but also her oldest companion.

* * *

_A young Amaya toddled towards an equally young sky bison that was sitting away from the other young, observing curiously. She stretched out a hand and it walked over, sniffing her curiously, before letting out a squeaky growl and rolling over, presenting his belly for scratching. Delighted, Amaya stretched out her pudgy child's hands and scratched the thick fur. _

"_Gyatso, I want this one!" she squealed to her guardian, standing at the mouth of the stables. _

"_Then you shall have him," Gyatso smile, partially concealed by his floppy white mustache. "But he needs a name." _

_Amaya looked at the sky bison, concentrating hard. Names were important things, after all. The bison let out a yawn, the noise catching in his throat a bit._

"_Appa!" she proclaimed, mimicking the sound the animal had just let out. "He's Appa!"_

"_He does look like an Appa," Gyatso said, fully supporting her active imagination._

* * *

_Amaya curled up under the sheets, blocking out the howling wind from outside, the trees scratching the wall below her window. She mentally screamed at Aang for telling her that scary story of the huge, evil lemur that kidnapped little Airbender girls…_

_A low growl echoed through her room and Amaya yelped, burrowing further under her covers. The monster!_

_But this monster didn't come attack her. Instead, it curled against her back and let out a small huff of air. Cautiously, Amaya poked her head out from under the covers and peeked over her shoulder, sighing with relief. Appa was curled up against her, his little horns poking into the air. _

_She frowned then, thinking hard. Appa was down at the stables earlier, so how had he… Her eyes fell on the window critically. It would be tight, but he could definitely make it. but how had Appa known?_

_Well, who cared, so long as he was here now? Amaya rolled over, wrapping her arms around him and knotting her fingers in thick fur. She sighed happily, and suddenly the howling wind seemed much farther away._

* * *

So many times Appa had been there for her, and now she had left him alone and what happened? Appa was kidnapped. He must be so scared, and who knew what those _sandbenders_ were doing to him. Would they sell him? _Kill him?_

Amaya shoved that thought away, not emotionally able to think about it at the moment. But Katara was right, shoving them away wouldn't fix anything, it would just make it worse. They were all upset about Appa, but they had their own problems at the moment. Without Appa to carry them, how would they get out of the desert?

* * *

Well, they got out of the desert, and for that Amaya was grateful. It took all Katara's not inconsiderable wisdom and courage to get them all out alive and still friends, and for that Amaya was doubly grateful. Without Katara to smack some sense into her, she'd probably be a big, depressed lump.

"Double Waterbending bomb!"

As it was, she was okay for the moment.

Katara and Amaya jumped hand in hand from the cliff high above the river where they had made camp. They hit the water hard and sent up a huge splash, enhancing it was a bit of Waterbending. The resulting wave was nearly as tall as the tower of the Spirit Library.

The two girls climbed out laughing, wringing out their hair.

"Sure, five thousand years old maps from the spirit library, just splash some water on them why don't you," Sokka grumbled.

"Sorry, "Katara apologized, bending the water out of the maps. "So, have we found a route to Ba Sing Se yet?"

"We just got out of the desert, so we're somewhere around here, and Ba Sing Se is here," Sokka said, gesturing to the map. "The only route is here, Serpent's Pass."

"Are you sure that's the best way?" Toph asked.

"It's the only way," Sokka sighed. "Since we don't have Appa to fly us there…"

Katara nudged him and looked at Amaya pointedly. "Have some tact, will you?"

Amaya smiled blandly. "Katara, I'm not going to burst into tears."

"You did earlier," Sokka pointed out. Toph shifted guiltily.

"And now I've moved on to angry and determined," she said. "The faster we get to Ba Sing Se and warn the Earth King, the faster we can move on to hunt for Appa."

"Oh," Katara blinked. "Well, okay. I'm glad you're doing better."

"Great, then no Ba Sing Se we go," Sokka said, rolling up his map. "No more distractions."

"Hello fellow refugees!"

"Oh look, a distraction," Amaya said, waving cheerily at the man and two women who had hailed them.

"Are you making your way to Ba Sing Se as well?" Katara asked.

"We sure are," the man said, placing a fond hand on his pregnant wife's stomach. "We're trying to get there before my wife Ying has her baby."

"You can travel through the Serpent's Pass with us!" Katara said happily.

The family recoiled, gasping. Ying nearly had her baby on the spot. "The Serpent's Pass?" she gaped. "Only the truly desperate take that deadly route!"

"Deadly route," Toph grinned, slugging Sokka in the shoulder and knocking him down. "Great pick Sokka."

"You should come with us to Full Moon Cove," Ying invited.

"Ferries take refugees across to the city, and it's hidden so the Fire Nation can't find us," her husband explained.

"Hmm, peaceful ferry ride, or deadly path," Katara mused mockingly.

"Yeah, let's follow the pregnant lady," Toph said.

* * *

The ferry was one bit of drama after another. First a cabbage merchant's cart was trashed by the security, then they were rejected for tickets, then Toph weaseled them some with her family name, then they found Suki, then the family's belongings and tickets were stolen, then the evil ticket lady refused to help.

So, after nearly seven hours of drama and catching up, they ended up going through the Serpent's Pass anyway, followed by the family.

"I can't believe we gave up our tickets and now we're going through the Serpent's Pass," Sokka grumbled.

"I can't believe you're still complaining about it," Toph muttered.

"I think helping the pregnant lady get to comfortable lodgings trumps keeping our place in line," Amaya said, jerking a finger over her shoulder at Ying, who was so far along she needed help walking upright.

"I'm coming too!"

Amaya whirled to see Suki in her Kyoshi Warrior garb running towards them.

"Suki, you're coming with us?" Sokka asked worriedly.

"Yes, is that a problem?" Suki asked. She and Amaya sensed the old gender prejudice arguments about to make a comeback.

"No, I'm glad you're coming," Sokka said, and Amaya breathed a sigh of relief. They didn't need delays, Appa might not be able to afford them, and Ying might not be able to either. A blowout between Sokka and Suki about her gender could easily last an hour, or as long as Suki held back before beating him up.

Amaya grinned and dropped her pack, digging around inside before pulling out the gloves and armor from Kyoshi Island. She made quick work of strapping it on, retying her sash over top and hanging her fans form it.

"You still have that?" Suki gaped.

"Yup," Amaya nodded. "I tell you, I love these fans. They're great in spaces too small for my glider."

"Onward!"

The Serpent's Pass was only a twenty minute trek away. It was a strip of land, probably not even a half-mile wide at its thickest point, stretched thinly from shore to shore and arching over mountains.

"This is the Serpent's Pass?" Sokka said. "I expected it to be more windy. I guess they misnamed it."

"Doubtful," Amaya sighed. "With our luck."

"Oh, look at this writing," Ying said, examining a few characters scratched into the wood of the sign post.

"What's it say?" Toph asked.

"It says abandon hope," Katara read grimly.

"Abandon hope?" Ying whimpered, tucking her head in her husband's chest. "But that's all we have!"

"No, get rid of it," Amaya said, shaking her head. "The monks used to say hope is a distraction. It's not going to get us into Ba Sing Se and it won't get us to Appa."

"What are you saying?" Katara blinked.

"We need to focus on the task at hand," Amaya said grimly, standing at the head of the trail. "That's getting across this pass."

"Okay," Katara said unsurely.

And so they started walking. It was hard to tell how far they'd gone, or how far was left. The pass went up and down, curving left and jagging right. The ledge that served as the path across the narrow strip of land was barely wide enough for a child to lay across. They pressed against the wall nervously as they went.

"Is that a Fire Navy ship?" Sokka asked nervously, pointing out over the water. Sure enough, there was a large metal ship, built in a style that was becoming horribly familiar to the four companions. A bright red flag fluttered proudly in the wind. The symbol on it couldn't been seen from this far away, but there was no mistaking it.

"I doubt they can see us form this far away," Amaya soothed.

"The Fire Nation controls the west side of the lake," Suki explained. "Rumor has it's their working on something top-secret over there and don't want anyone to know what it is."

"Then I'd love to know," Amaya said, pausing momentarily and looking at the ship. She turned abruptly when she heard a shout and the sound of falling rock. The man they were travelling with was falling, the ground having given out under him. Toph was already on it though. A flat sheet of land extended from the side of the pass. He hit it hard before it flicked him back up onto the ledge where his wife and older daughter hugged him tightly, holding him in place, relieved.

"I'm alright, trust me, I'm fine," he soothed.

"We aren't," Amaya said grimly as she watched a ball of pitch light on the deck of the Fire Navy ship. "Go, go!"

"They spotted us!" Sokka cried as the fireball was launched through the air towards them.

Amaya reacted quickly, wincing as she realized how easy it was for her to switch her mind into battle mode. Was she right in the library; was this really what her life was now, one fight after another as she struggled desperately against the Fire Nation and the crushing weight of her destiny? Well, whether or not it was, she had people relying on her now.

She propelled herself off the pass with one foot and flew out over the water, glider clutched in one hand. She swung it and formed a protective half-circle of air. It caught the fireball and sent it spinning back towards the ship. The weapon connected with the top of the smokestacks, triggering a small explosion, but they managed to get off another shot before confusion took over again.

It sailed past Amaya, who wasn't expecting that last shot to actually make it off. It hit the pass above Sokka, Suki, and Toph, who were bringing up the rear.

"Suki!" Sokka yelled as Suki stood frozen, staring at the avalanche headed for her. He shoved her out of the way, but now he was in the path of the deadly falling rocks. Toph stomped her foot and gestured with her hands, an incline appearing in the cliffside above Sokka. Stones bounced harmlessly off of it and landed in the water below.

"Suki, are you okay?" Sokka demanded, rushing to her side without a care for how close he had just come to death. "You have to be more careful!" He helped Suki up and the two off them raced past Toph.

"Gee Toph, thanks for saving my life," Toph muttered irritably. "Oh, no problem Sokka, my pleasure."

She raced after them, Amaya trailing behind on her glider.

They made camp not too much later. A fire gave the harsh stone around them a slightly softer look. Amaya watched as Ying's husband rubbed her aching feet tenderly. She wondered if she would ever have a child, if her husband would do that for her. She already had a name. _Tien…_

She shook her head, expelling the memory of the dream from her mind as she watched Sokka and Suki interact. They were just so adorably idiotic…

"Suki! Sokka wailed, snatching her pallet away from her and placing it beside his. "You shouldn't sleep there, that ledge could give way at any moment!"

"Sokka, quit fussing, I'm fine, I can take care of myself!" Suki insisted angrily.

"I know, I know," Sokka said, straightening the edge before standing. Suki made to lie down but he stopped her. "No, wait! Oh, I thought I saw a spider, but you can take care of it." Suki slumped and sighed.

* * *

Amaya stood on the ledge Suki had been forbidden from sleeping on, staring out over the Fire Nation's side of the lake.

"It's okay to miss Appa."

Katara. Of course. The peacekeeper.

"Are you okay?" Katara asked, moving to stand beside her. "In the desert you were so determined to find Appa, but now it's like you don't even care."

"Katara," Amaya sighed, rubbing her temples. "Family is the most important thing to me. It's always been that way. First it was Gyatso, but he was taken away. You, Toph, Sokka, Momo, even Suki. You're all my family. Yes, what I want more than anything is to take off towards Ba Seng Se and find Appa if it means breaking down the walls myself. But I can't, I have to contain myself, because I'm not going to leave you behind. I left Appa behind and look what happened. I left Gyatso behind and look what happened. I told myself after the storm, after we saved that old man, that I would never leave anyone behind again. Well, I broke that promise, and now Appa's suffering for it. This is my fault. I also promised myself that the Fire Lord would be the next person to see the Avatar State, the next and last to see me so… not me. But I broke that promise too."

"Amaya, there's a difference between trying to get over the pain and not letting yourself feel anything," Katara said softly. "I know sometimes it's easier to keep from caring, to keep from feeling. But you have to promise me you won't stop caring, because if you do, then we've already lost. I think you need a hug."

"Katara," Amaya said, holding up her hands. She saw Katara's hurt look. "Oh, fine. Just… I worry that when if I care about anyone else, it's just going to hurt worse."

"It might," Katara admitted as she hugged her. "But when you let people in, it means they're there to comfort you."

Amaya smiled. "You're right."

* * *

"You've got to be kidding me," Amaya groaned. "That's it, I'm suing whoever owns this pass."

"The whole thing's covered in water," Sokka gaped.

Not too far away they could see the other half of the pass rising out of the water, but between there and here was nothing but water lapping at the ground.

Katara's face got that determined look, and she waved her arms. Water rose up on either side of her, revealing the path in front of them. "Single file," she ordered. Sokka grinned and they all fell in step behind her. "Amaya, I need help!"

Amaya covered the back while Katara covered the front. This maneuver she was very familiar with. They travelled inside a small bubble of air, their three companions looking around in awe as fish swam around them, the water there, but not touching them.

Momo hopped out of the bubble to chase some fish, swimming after them remarkably well for an animal that was most at home in the air.

"What's that?" Suki demanded as Momo shot back inside, chattering nervously. A huge, dark shape swam outside their safe little huddle. It jerked suddenly and a long, scaly body fell through the top, breaking Katara and Amaya's concentration. Water rushed into the previously empty space fast.

It was Toph that saved the day, Earthbending their little group up out of the water on a tall, thick pillar of air. Ying and her family huddled in the middle, the benders, plus Suki and Sokka taking stances around the edges. Their eyes all trailed after the long wake circling them, left by whatever had attacked down below. Amaya wondered vaguely is the Unagi had followed Suki.

But no. This sea serpent was green and purple, as shown when it lunged out of the water, screaming and displaying a long tongue and barbels. It looked vaguely like a seahorse around the face, its body divided into green scales by purple lines, a long green fin running along the top of its back.

"I think I just figured out why it's called Serpent's Pass!" Sokka said, pointing. "Suki, you know about sea serpents, make it go away!"

"Just because I live near the Unagi doesn't mean I'm an expert!" she snapped.

Sokka scooped up Momo and proffered him to the monster. "Oh great sea serpent, take this humble and tasty offering! Thank you!"

Amaya smacked him with her glider. "Katara, get everyone across. Maybe it's friendly!"

"Does that look friendly to you?" Sokka demanded.

"That's what people said about the Unagi," Amaya reminded him with a smirk.

"Point taken."

Katara made a bridge of ice, Ying's family carefully edging her across as Suki and Sokka brought up the rear. Amaya meanwhile was in the air, alternately blasting the serpent with air to get its attention and keeping it by flying around its head like a big demented mosquito.

A tail slammed into her and she hit the water, crashing through Katara's bridge.

"Not a friendly, repeat, not a friendly!" Amaya yelled as she angled her glider and flew into the air again. She saw Toph still on the little island, shaking slightly, and understood. On ice, Toph couldn't see. On land she could. She swooped down and looked her legs under Toph's arms. She immediately began screaming and thrashing, making Amaya swerve wildly towards the water.

"Calm down, it's me!" she insisted.

"What are you doing?" Toph demanded. Amaya unlocked her legs and let her fall to the other side of the path. "Oh, thanks."

"Katara, whirlpool!" Amaya instructed. Katara nodded, stepping out into the water and icing the liquid around her feet into a sort of board. Amaya just ran, the two of them circling the serpent. Between the two of them, they managed to make a gigantic whirlpool filled with one thrashing serpent. It was pure bad luck on the animal's part that it stuck out its head to snap at Amaya right before the rotation slammed it into the rocks. Unconscious, it stopped thrashing and disappeared beneath the waves.

Katara and Amaya returned to the path.

"Okay, the sea serpent quota for the day has been filled," she said, spinning her glider back into a staff jauntily as if this happened every day. "Onward!"

"Is this normal for you?" Ying asked, staring at Katara, who shrugged and walked after Amaya.

"Pretty much," she said.

* * *

"_Argh!"_

"Don't tell me," Amaya groaned, slapping a hand to her face.

"The baby's coming!"

"She told me."

"Can't you hold it in?" Sokka demanded, staring at the soon-to-be-mother.

"Sokka!" Katara snapped. "Calm down! I've helped Gran-Gran deliver plenty of babies at the South Pole."

"This isn't an arctic seal!" Sokka shouted, waving his hands wildly. "This is a real… human… _thing!_"

"It's called a _baby_, and I've delivered those too! Sokka, get some rags, Suki, water. Toph, I'm going to need a big earth tent." Toph raised her hands, sheets of rock sliding out of the ground and enclosing Ying and her family, leaving a small opening. "Amaya, come with me!"

"Erm…" Amaya said, hesitating as Ying wailed.

"Come _on!_"

"Coming," Amaya said, scuttling inside the tent.

She paused, blinking. An image danced in front of her eyes, Zuko standing at the rail of a boat.

"_I've realized lately that being alone isn't always the best path."_

"Amaya!"

Amaya jumped and scurried into the tent, blinking away the image. In the day now too?

"You're doing great Ying," Katara was saying soothingly as Amaya came in. "Sokka, where's that water!" she roared before turning back to Ying and saying softly, "Get ready to push."

Sokka came in.

"One, two, three. Push!"

Sokka fainted. Amaya rolled her eyes and caught the bowl.

Amaya had no idea how much time passed, it seemed to alternately speed up and then go as slow as molasses. But soon, she was washing blood off her hands as Katara handed Ying a baby swaddled in cloth.

"It sounds healthy," Toph said as she came in.

"She's beautiful," Katara breathed.

"It's so… squishy-looking."

Amaya smacked Sokka as she kneeled beside Ying. "What are you going to name her?"

"I want her name to be unique, I want it to mean something," Ying said, and Amaya's heart lurched as she saw the love in the woman's eyes, staring down at her child in arms.

"I've been going through a hard time," she said softly. "But for the first time… I feel like we have chance. I have _hope_ again. Thank you for that."

"I know what I want our daughter's name to be!" Ying smiled. "Hope."

"It's perfect," he husband said, staring at his daughter affectionately.

They all walked outside, giving the family some private time. Amaya caught Katara's hand and pulled her over under tree.

"Katara, I want to apologize. I thought I was being strong by pushing you away, but in reality I was just running away. Standing and facing my problems takes so much more strength. Seeing that family has reminded me of how much I love Appa, and how much I love all of you."

"Come here," Katara said, crying as she hugged Amaya.

"If I ever get like this again, you have my permission to sic Toph on me," she said.

"See you in the big city," Sokka said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Give the big fluffball a hug for me," Toph said, punching Amaya in the arm and making her stagger.

Amaya took off, heading for the city. They weren't too far away, so it wasn't long before she landed on the famous wall of Ba Seng Se, Momo beside her.

"Oh, come on!" she groaned, kicking the wall.

Below her, a drill emblazoned with the Fire Nation emblem was slowly grinding towards the wall, flanked on both sides by some of Teo's father's tanks.

"Momo, I'm starting to feel like someone up there really doesn't like me."

* * *

**And, here's the second part! Big romantic stuff in two chapters, who's excited? I've got it all typed up! And also, we're getting close to Book 3, where's things start really getting different from the storyline. I know I've been following it pretty strictly up until now, but mostly I've had the problem of getting in all the information that has to be there, since I'm basically redoing the show. A few less important episodes I've skipped, I'll admit, but I think it's still flowed fairly well.**


	10. In Which Coincidence Is Awesome!

"I swear Teo, if this is your dad's doing, I'm going to visit just to kick his butt," Amaya sighed as she watched the thing move.

It was almost like a caterpillar, extending all its sections before pulling them together, then extending again. As she watched, a long arm extended high into the air, a hut on top where presumably the person in charge was sitting and watching as the drill grew perilously closer.

Amaya was torn. Appa or Ba Sing Se? It was bigger choice than one might expect, a choice between her heart and her duty. Where she a more feminine girl, or were she a romantic, she might have said her duty was to her heart. But she was the Avatar. She didn't have that choice. Her duty came first, her heart second.

"Appa, hold on buddy," Amaya begged as she flew off the wall, back towards her friends. She was surprised to see them drawing close to the base and swooped over to them immediately.

"Amaya?" Katara blinked, looking up at her in surprise. "I thought you were looking for Appa?"

"I was," Amaya said, lowering her eyes guiltily. "But something stopped me. Something important."

"What could be bigger than Appa?" Sokka asked.

Amaya just shook her head, gesturing for them to follow her. They walked the last stretch to the outer wall.

"Toph?" Amaya asked.

"Gotcha," Toph nodded. She and Amaya worked together, ripping a chunk of earth out of the ground and dragging it up the top of the wall.

"Big enough for you?" Amaya asked when they rose high enough to see the gigantic drill.

"What is that?" Katara breathed, staring at the contraption with awe and fear.

"Depending on how it goes? The fall of Ba Sing Se or a gigantic waste of money for the Fire Nation," Amaya said grimly. "Let's hope it's the last one."

They stepped off onto the wall, Ying's family clutching each other close.

"We made it to Ba Sing Se and we're still not safe," Ying said, clutching her baby close protectively. "Nowhere is safe from the Fire Nation."

"This place will be," Amaya swore. "I promise you Ying, and I promise you Hope."

"Hey, what are you doing? Civilians aren't allowed up here!"

Amaya turned to see a pair of frazzled and annoyed Earth Kingdom soldier looking at them angrily. She faced them fully and said, "I'm not a civilian. My name is Amaya, and I'm the Avatar. Take me to whoever's in charge here."

The soldiers were most accommodating after that, tripping over themselves as they escorted them to a watch tower, sending another pair to assist Ying and her family into the city.

"It is a great pleasure to welcome you to the outer wall, quite an honor, yes," the General said. "However, young Avatar, your help is not needed."

Amaya blinked. "Not _needed?"_

"Not needed," he nodded firmly. "I have everything well in hand here. The great outer wall is impenetrable. Many have tried to get inside, but none have succeeded."

"You know, it's funny," Amaya said softly. "That's what they said about the Air Temples, that no one could get in. And you'll notice how that ended up."

"What about the Dragon of the West?" Toph added. "He got in!"

"I missed something," Amaya frowned, whispering to Katara. "Fill me in?"

"Fire Nation tried to get in Ba Sing Se, some big general made it inside, that was it though," Sokka explained.

"Ah."

"Well, technically he made it in," the general allowed. "But that was all! He was quickly expelled. That's why the city is called Ba Sing Se, because of the impenetrable wall. They don't call it _Na_ Sing Se," he laughed. When he was the only one that got it, he clarified, "That means penetrable wall."

"Thanks for the tour," Toph said. "But we've still got that drill problem."

"Not for long," the general said, moving to the edge of the wall and staring out. "Watch closely. I've sent an elite group of Earthbenders out to tackle this problem. The Terror Team!"

"Nice group name," Sokka observed. "It's very catchy."

They did as instructed and watched closely. They saw the Terror Team have their rear ends handed to them on a silver platter.

It started with an attack from a troop rushing forwards on a mound of earth. They took out one of the tanks, throwing it back, before moving to the edge of the drill. At an order from the leader, columns of rock shot out of the ground, pressing the side of the drill and presumably keeping it in place. The tactic failed dismally, the rock crumbling as the section extended.

Two figures slid down the side of the drill and the Earthbenders had to erect a wall in front of themselves to block the knives that streamed from the sleeves of one of them. The other was a bright pink blot against the dreary landscape, sending one Earthbender flopping to the ground in a matter of two strikes. She flipped over an attack of rocks and landed in the middle of the troop, taking all of them down in seconds.

"Look who it is, pinky and the Emotionless One," Amaya grumbled. "So that means Azula's there too, I'd bet."

"We're doomed!" the General wailed. Sokka slapped him across the face.

"Get a hold of yourself man!" Sokka roared.

"You're right," the General agreed, rubbing his cheek. "I'm sorry."

"Maybe you'd like the Avatar's help now?" Toph suggested.

The General shuffled over to Amaya, slumped over with his head hanging. "Yes please," he whimpered.

"So the question is," Amaya said, staring out over the plain. She placed a hand on the edge of the wall and tapped her finger rhythmically. "How do we stop it?"

She turned to look at Sokka, along with Katara.

"Why are you all looking at me?" he demanded defensively.

"Well, you're the one that always manages to come up with wild and crazy plans that somehow manage to save us all by the skin of our teeth," Amaya reason.

"So I'm the only one that can ever come up with ideas? That's a lot of pressure!"

"And also the complaining guy," Katara deadpanned.

"Well that part I don't mind so much."

"For now, would you mind helping with the injured men out there?" the General asked weakly.

"Katara, let's go," Amaya said. "Take us to the infirmary."

It wasn't long before the soldiers were brought in, unable to move and groaning weakly on cots. Theirs shirts were quickly removed and healers converged on them, but Amaya waved them away.

"What's wrong with them?" the General asked worriedly. "I don't see a single mark!"

"Their chi is blocked," Amaya said grimly as she and Katara picked soldiers and knelt by them, pulling water from nearby buckets and using it to heal them.

"What happened?" Katara asked gently.

"These two girls came out of nowhere," the soldier said weakly. "There was one dressed in pink. She hit me with a few quick jabs and suddenly I couldn't Earthbend. I could barely move."

"Ty Lee," Amaya said grimly. "She looks innocent, but really she may be the more dangerous of the two. What she does is take the weak points of the body and exploit them, blocking chi and deadening limbs. The effects wear off after a while, but for that fine you're completely defenseless."

"It's like she takes you down from the inside out," Katara said softly, shuddering as she remembered her own encounter with the girl.

"Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!" Sokka yelled suddenly, waving his hands around as an idea struck him.

"What? What? What? What?" Amaya demanded.

"What you just said!" Sokka said, pointing to Katara excitedly. "That's how we take out the drill, the same way Ty Lee took down those big Earthbenders!"

"We hit its pressure points!" Toph said excitedly.

Amaya moved to the window, staring down at the drill. "We take it down from the inside out."

"What do you mean?" the General asked.

"I mean, we go out there, get inside, kick butt, and take names," Amaya said. "You stay here and set up a line of defense just in case this goes pear-shaped."

The General nodded. Amaya and Toph got them down the side of the wall the same way they'd gone up.

"I'm going to whip up some cover," Toph said. "Once I get this dust cloud up, you won't be able to see well, so stay close to me."

"Link hands," Amaya suggested, grabbing Katara's hand, who in turned linked up with Sokka.

Toph stood out in the open while the other three took cover in one of the defensive ditches. Toph extended her hands, raising them slowly and grunting as she stomped hard. A line of dust extended out from her, running along the left side of the drill.

"Go!" Toph shouted. Amaya snagged her hand and followed the young girls hands as they ran, blinking as dust collected and dried out her eyes, catching in her throat and making her cough. It was a wild, desperately, though not blind sprint as they reached the drill. Toph let go of Amaya and held out her hands. In front of her, the dir spiraled. She punched and it pushed inward, forming a hole.

"Everybody in!" Toph ordered. They followed her lead and jumped in, Toph yanking the dirt back in place over top of them so smoothly you'd have no idea that there had just been a hole.

"It's so dark, I can't see a thing!" Sokka protested. Amaya felt around and then slapped him. "Ow!"

"Oh no, what a nightmare!" Toph said with mock fear.

"Sorry," Sokka apologized sheepishly. Amaya laughed softly.

Toph created a tunnel in front of them as they ran, closing it up behind them when they passed. They emerged underneath the machine. The air was thick with the smell of engines and exhaust, the noise nearly deafening.

"There!" Sokka shouted, pointing to an open hatch in front of them, highlighted by a bright red bulb. It was presumably for an emergency escape, but in this case it provided an emergency entrance. Amaya ran forwards, jumping and flipping, looping her legs around an exposed pipe tightly and dangling. She stretched out her hand, Katara catching them and Amaya flipping her up inside. She did the same for Sokka and reached out for Toph.

"Toph, come on!" Sokka called.

"No way!" Toph snorted. "I can't see inside that metal monster, and I can't bend either! I'm going to stay out here and try to slow it down!"

"Okay!" Sokka nodded, withdrawing.

"Can't be harder than an angry knowledge spirit, can it?" Amaya said with a grin before flipping up into the inner workings of the machine herself. She, Sokka, and Katara edged into the next room. It was run through with a maze of pipes, interspersed with nozzles and dials, spitting out reading that Amaya couldn't for the life of her understand.

"I need a plan of this place, so we can find its weak points," Sokka said.

"Where would we find that though?" Katara asked. "I doubt they'd just leave that lying around."

Sokka pulled out his machete and swung it hard, sheering a valve off of a nearby pipe, sending it flying dangerously fast. Steam poured from the pipe, choking the air and making it horribly humid.

"What are you doing, someone will hear us!" Amaya shouted.

"That's what I'm counting on," Sokka soothed. "I figure something as big and intricate as this has to have a lot of engineers, and when something breaks-"

"They come to fix it!" Katara said, eyes widening in realization.

No sooner had she said that then a hulking shape appeared in the steam, only the outline visible through the fog.

"Hi!" Katara greeted cheerfully, taking the steam and circling the man in it, turning it to ice and effectively cut off all his movement.

"Nothing personal," Amaya apologized as Sokka ran forwards. He snatched the slightly frosted plans from the man's hand and shouted, "This is what we need!"

They ran off up a set of stairs to an upper level and Sokka spread the plans out over a flat section of metal. The diagram was fairly basic, presumably more for navigation purposes than anything else.

"Okay," Sokka said, pointing to a large shaded section in the middle of the plans. "It looks like this is the inner mechanism, where we are now. I think it's one of two main structures. From what I can tell, the outer shell is connected by these braces. It we take them out, the shell will collapse under its own weight."

"So, to the braces," Amaya said. "Where are they?"

Sokka held up the plans, navigating through the endless rooms of pipes and dials that looked exactly the same to Amaya. She wondered vaguely how he could tell the difference as they went from room to room. Maybe it was something all men were born with, the ability to navigate. She shook her head, recalling road trips with the monks. No, definitely not.

"Whoa," Sokka said as they passed through the last door. "Uh, these are much thicker in person than they are on the plans."

Amaya stared around. It felt vaguely like being in some sort of large arena. The place was completely open, run through with thick I-beams that supported the weight of the outer shell. And Sokka wasn't kidding when he said they were thick. One was probably almost as thick as Amaya was tall.

"We'll have to work fast to get through these," Sokka said.

"What's this 'we?'" Katara demanded. "Amaya and I are going to be the ones doing all this."

"I'm the plan guy," Sokka explained. "You two are the cut stuff up with water guys. Together, we're Team Avatar!"

"Girls," Amaya corrected. "Come on Katara, we can argue with him later. Let's go."

Amaya edged around the first brace and called, "Ready!" Katara unstoppered her pouch, bending out the water from inside and sending it flying across the edge of the beam to Amaya, who caught it and sent it back. It became a sort of game of catch. It was hard, hot, and tiring work, and the two girls were exhausted before they were even halfway done with the first beam.

"Come on team, don't quit now!" Sokka cheered. "We're..."

It was the 'we're' that send Katara spinning on her brother, water ready to attack and growling.

"I mean, you're almost there," Sokka corrected hastily, holding up his hands defensively. Katara sighed and sent the water back at Amaya. It took a few more passes, but they managed to get through the first strut. It groaned, and with a great screeching of metal slipped. It caught halfway down the bottom, and held.

"It's no use!" Katara said in frustration. "We can't do any damage before this reaches the wall!"

"I don't know how many more of those I have left in me anyway," Amaya sighed, slumping to the floor.

Suddenly, more screeching sounded through the outer shell, like metal grinding on metal.

"We did it, we took it down!" Sokka yelled. "Let's go!"

They made for the same door they had come in through, but they paused as an official-sounding voice echoed over the speakers.

"Congratulatons troops, we've just made contact with the outer shell of Ba Sing Se's wall. Begin the countdown to victory!"

"Come on!" Amaya shouted. Sokka ran at the brace and began shoving. It did no good, his feet unable to find traction on the smooth metal. They slipped wildly as he grunted.

"This is bad," Katara said nervously. "This is really bad."

"I don't get it!" Sokka said. "We put everything into this brace!"

Amaya's eyes widened. Everything… Maybe that was the problem!

"Take a fighting stance!" Amaya barked.

"Amaya?" Katara questioned.

"I've got a point, "she said. Sokka shrugged and assumed a stance, Amaya taking her place across from him. "Toph's been teaching me you shouldn't put a hundred percent into any one move," she said, slipping her leg around Sokka's and yanking it out. "You hit your opponent with a series of blows designed to throw them off balance and break their stance." She made a few precise strikes to Sokka's chest and shoulders. "Then, when they real back, you give the final blow!" She punched Sokka's forehead gently and he hit the ground. "Their own weight becomes their downfall, literally!"

"So maybe we don't need to cut all the way through the struts!" Katara understood. "Maybe we just need to weaken them!"

Amaya nodded. "Exactly. And we'd better to it fast! Then I go up to the top and deliver the final blow!"

"Then… Boom! It all comes crashing down!" Sokka grinned.

"Everyone in Ba Sing Se… the whole world… They're counting on us," Amaya said.

_Her vision blurred suddenly and resolved into Zuko sitting beside his uncle, who was making a face as a cup of tepid tea. _

Amaya swayed as she came back to herself. What was with these dreams? They weren't _dreams _anymore; they came in the daytime too now. They were shorter, but just as vivid.

"Amaya?" Katara asked worriedly. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Amaya nodded. "Don't worry about me. Let's just hurry!"

She and Katara went from brace to brace, slashing it halfway, sometimes a bit more, through, until it was sufficiently weakened.

"Come on, that's enough!" Amaya called. "We need to get to the next one!"

They were on the next to last brace when blue fire suddenly streamed over Sokka's head. Amaya turned with wide eyes to look and found another blast headed straight for her. She leaned back instinctively, one leg extending fully to retain her balance. She righted herself and looked to see Azula and her friends standing on a support strut above them.

"You were right Azula!" Ty Lee said cheerfully. "It is the Avatar. And friends, "she added, narrowing her eyes flirtatiously at Sokka, who grinned weakly and wiggled his fingers.

"Hi," he said sheepishly. Katara grabbed his sleeve and yanked him away.

"Quit flirting with pinky!" Amaya snapped, peeved as she ran after them. Ty Lee lunged for her, flying across the open space between walkways, but Amaya slashed her arm in a wide circle, shoving the girl back.

They came to a T in the path and Amaya ordered, "You guys get out, I know what I have to do."

They all started off, but Katara suddenly called, "Wait Amaya!"

Amaya turned curiously, eyebrows raised. Katara yanked off her water skein. "You need this water more than I do!" She threw it to Amaya who caught it, yanking it over her head and nodding sharply in thanks before they all took off again, sprinting through the drill.

Amaya had abandoned all sense of secrecy. Her goal now was to get out, plain and simple. She ran fearlessly through room filled with engineer, blasting them back into control panels if they made a move to grab her. Her eyes lit on a long ladder leading up from the control room floor to the outside. She pushed off the ground, landing on the ladder halfway up and scampering out onto the roof.

She took long hops to make her way across the top, speed of the essence right now. She paused right in front of where the drill was buried in the wall. Might as well attack a spot already under stress, that should make it easier.

She jumped to the side, eyes wide, as a rock connected with the spot she had just been standing. She pressed a hand to her chest, panting as her heart raced. She was almost squashed.

Looking up angrily, Amaya's eyes landed on the General. "General Sung!" she roared. "Could you _stop throwing rocks down here please?"_

She could vaguely hear him over the sound of the drill and the clattering of boulders. "Men, whatever you do, do not stop throwing rocks down there!"

"Oh joy," Amaya grumbled, but quickly got to work. She drew the water from the pouch and began slinging it at the metal between her feet, carving an X into it while frequently having to dodge rocks. She looked up as a slurry of water and dirt began pouring from the drill in front of her. Water and dirt… She grinned, mentally thanking Katara and Toph. Even more stress for the machine!

"Momo, if you could somehow magically make me a Metalbender, that would be awesome," she sighed, pausing for a moment to take a breather.

Momo's chattering was the only warning she had. Amaya barely managed to turn before Azula's blue fire connected, just time enough to create a wave of air to disperse it.

"Momo, go!" she shouted. The lemur obediently hopped off her shoulder and jumped into the air, taking off towards the wall. Amaya was left alone to face down Azula, the prodigy child of the Fire Lord.

Azula attacked first, which Amaya had expected. The girl was impatient, if nothing else. Amaya slid under the fire, sweeping her leg around and counterattacking with a swipe of air meant to catch Azula in the ankles. She dodged, of course, and landed securely on top of the drill. Amaya pulled the water from the pouch, flicking it like a whip and snapping it at Azula's hands and feet, cutting her attacks off before they even got a chance to properly start, something that obviously annoyed the royal.

Azula jumped, kicking out, before turning and kicking again. Amaya raised the water to block, but the attack was too strong. She was blasted backwards, spinning like a top before she connected with the top of the drill, elbow cracking against metal painfully. She saw Azula come forwards for another blow, but suddenly a wave of rocks poured down, cutting her off. Amaya cast a glance up at General Sung.

Huh. He just saved her life.

Reminding herself to thank him later, she jumped to her feet, dodging the last few rocks. She caught one on a cushion of air, spinning it around and turning it towards Azula. The girl dropped into a split, the rock sailing over her head, and attacked as she rose. Amaya gathered the shattered remains of the rocks around her into a wall in front of her, deflecting the attack. She punched rocks out towards Azula, who dodged or redirected all of them. Amaya poked her head over the top of the wall, having to hastily retreat of risk having a scar to match Zuko's.

She punched another rock out, but that was all she managed before a wave of blue fire, more intense and powerful than anything she had felt before, blasted into her protective barrier. Amaya went flying, slamming back against the famous wall. She was peppered with rocks before gravity and exhaustion took over. Her vision flickered and she fell to the ground limply.

When Amaya came too, she was pressed up against the wall by Azula, one hand holding her in place while another held a ball of fire no doubt meant for her. Amaya's eyes widened and she pressed her hand into the wall, covering it with rock before raising it. She felt the rocks around her arm heat uncomfortably as flames licked around them, but she pushed through and shoved Azula as hard as she could, sending her skidding back across the top of the drill.

Amaya took a stance, staring the girl down. Azula charged and Amaya prepared for the attack. It never reached her though, because at the moment the pressure of the slurry proved too much for the drill. It shot out of the gap between the drill and the wall as a powerful jet. Amaya slipped and so did Azula, the two of them floundering and sliding down opposite sides of the drill. Amaya yelled as she fell, but suddenly there was a tug at her cape and then she was upright again. Amaya ran as only an Airbender could, scrambling back up the side of the drill. She couldn't see Azula, which she took as a good thing, although that meant she had no idea where the next attack would come from.

"Alright, now all I need is a-"

_Fwoop._

A rock landed next to her on top of the drill. Amaya blinked, and then her face broke out into a wide grin.

"Yeah for coincidence!" she cheered, before sheering away bits of the rock until it was pointed. She guided it over the X she had carved in the metal, wedging the tip into the crack before taking a few steps back.

She broke into a sprint, heading straight for the wall, forming an air scooter as she ran and hopping on. She sailed up the side of the wall until she was about halfway up. Amaya let the air scooter fade, stretching her legs until they ached in a last few steps up the wall. She rotated, swinging around before sprinting back down the wall, gathering momentum the whole way. Her field of vision narrowed to the top of that wedge, and she aimed for it with everything in her. As she jumped for it, blue fire sailed harmlessly over her head, but Amaya connected regardless. She landed with her knees bending to absorb the impact, a rush of air that had built up around her suddenly releasing and blasting Azula back with a scream.

The result? Catastrophic system failure. The slurry exploded from between the links of the drill, the obvious weak points, shooting into the air with the first release of pressure before slacking off, spilling all over. The links themselves sagged, great gushes of steam coming from seemingly everywhere as pressure escaped in any way it could and braces buckled, slipping free.

Amaya spat out slurry, gagging and retching as she doubled over, coughing the thick paste up. She wiped it away from her eyes.

"Well that sucked," she sighed.


	11. In Which Amaya Waxes Poetic

Amaya listened to the soothing scrape of the train as Earthbenders pushed them through the city.

"Look!" Katara cried, shaking her shoulder. Amaya looked. "The inner wall!" Indeed, it was the inner wall, stretching high and wide in front of them. "I can't believe we finally made it to Ba Sing Se in one piece!"

"Hey, don't jinx it!" Sokka shouted nervously. "We could still be attacked by a giant exploding Fire Nation spoon, or we could find out the cities been submerged in killer shrimp!"

Katara, Toph, and Amaya blinked.

"You been hitting the cactus juice again?" Toph asked suspiciously.

"I'm just saying!" Sokka said, throwing his hands up. "Weird stuff happens to us."

"He ain't wrong," Amaya admitted.

A fat man walked over and sat down between Sokka and Toph, sucking on a corn cob protruding from his mouth.

"I'm not touching that, it's too easy," Amaya said, shaking her head and looking longingly out the window.

"Don't worry," Katara said soothingly. "We'll find Appa."

Amaya gave her a half-hearted smile. "It's such a big city."

"He's a giant bison!" Sokka insisted. "There's only so many places you can put one of those without getting funny looks!"

They emerged from the tunnel and the inner city opened up around them, stretching for miles in all directions.

"Oh," Sokka said, pupils shrinking to pinpricks as he understood just why Amaya was so down.

"Exactly," Amaya nodded as they pulled into the station. Corn cob guy got off first, followed by the four of them.

"Back in the city," Toph grumbled. "Great."

"What's wrong with you?" Sokka demanded, staring at the city spread out below in wonder. "It's amazing!"

"It's just a bunch of walls and rules," Toph shrugged, "Just wait, you'll get sick of it in a few days," she assured him.

Amaya reached into her shawl and pulled out the bison whistle, her hand closing over it tightly. She raised it to her lips and blew reassuringly.

"Don't worry, we'll find him," Katara said.

"Someone's coming," Toph muttered and they all turned to see a smiling woman with long, dark hair stepping across the tracks. Her smile remained fixed in place, never wavering, as she walked up to them.

"Greetings!" she said cheerfully. "My name is Joo Dee, I have been given the supreme honor of escorting the Avatar around Ba Sing Se. And you must be Sokka, Katara, and Toph. Are you ready to begin our tour?"

"Yes!" Sokka said sternly. "We have important information about the Fire Nation we need to get to the Earth King immediately."

"Great!" Joo Dee smiled. "We'll take our tour, and then I'll show you where you'll be living here in Ba Sing Se." She turned and walked away, obviously expecting them to follow her on her tour.

Amaya narrowed her eyes in confusion and leaned over to Katara. "She on the cactus juice, you think?"

"I have no idea," Katara said, shaking her head in wonderment.

"Maybe you didn't hear me," Sokka said, catching Joo Dee and stopping her. "We need to speak to the Earth King about the war immediately!"

"You're in Ba Sing Se now," Joo Dee said, her voice a bit tense. "Everyone is safe here."

They all exchanged confused looks, but shrugged, following Joo Dee into a carriage.

"This is the lower ring," she said in a perfect tour guide voice, her benign smile never wavering.

"What's that wall for?" Katara asked, pointing out the window.

"Oh, Ba Sing Se has many walls," Joo Dee said airily. "There are the walls outside protecting us, and the walls inside that help maintain order. This is where the new arrivals live, as well as all our craftsmen and artisans, people who work with their hands. It's so quaint and lively. You should watch your step though."

"Why do they have all these poor people blocked off from the rest of the city?" Katara asked, staring wide-eyed at a pair of men staggering drunk out of an alleyway, waving their swords wildly.

"this is why I never came here," Amaya said softly. "I was always told it was too different from the way the monks taught us to live."

"What do you mean?" Katara asked.

"I mean, segregation," Amaya replied, careful of offending Joo Dee, the abnormally chipper tour guide. "That's why all the walls."

They made it into the middle ring, which was considerably nicer, with flower beds and bridges over picturesque streams.

"This is the middle ring," Joo Dee recited. "Home to the financial district, shops and restaurants, and the university."

"Yeah, we met a professor from the university that took us to an ancient library where we found information that is absolutely crucial to the war!" Sokka shouted.

"Isn't history fascinating?" Joo Dee smiled. "Over there is one of the oldest buildings in the middle ring, Town Hall."

"Is that woman deaf?" Sokka demanded. "It's like she only hears every other word I say!"

"It's called being handled," Toph huffed. "Get used to it."

After a brief tour of the town hall, where Joo Dee still didn't acknowledge that they had vital information, it was off to the upper ring.

"This is the upper ring, where all the most important citizens live," Joo Dee explained. "Your house isn't too far from here."

Amaya gaped at the wide open spaces, the calla lilies, the wide ponds with perfectly-placed lily pads, and the buildings that just screamed 'someone freakishly wealthy lives here.' It was such a sharp contrast to the lower ring, Amaya felt a vague sense of culture shock. How could people be living like this when not even another city away people were starving? It rebelled against everything the monks had taught her about equality and charity, so much so that she felt ill.

"What's behind that wall?" Katara asked.

"And who are the mean looking guys standing in front of it?" Sokka added. Amaya looked out to see strong men garbed in green robes and low-hanging hats gathered outside the gate of the wall.

"That is the entrance to the palace," Joo Dee explained. "Those men are the Dai Li, the cultural authorities of Ba Sing Se. they guard our traditions.

"Can we see the king now?" Amaya demanded.

Joo Dee laughed. "Oh no! One doesn't simply pop in on the Earth King."

They stopped in front of a low house with a circular door, an ornate orange roof rising to a peek. It was surrounded by a small, lush garden, the scent of flowers perfuming the air and a quaint porch out in front.

"This is your house," Joo Dee explained. A messenger ran up, handed her a scroll, and darted off. "More good news!" she announced once she read the scroll. "Your request to view the Earth king is being processed, and should be viewed in a month! Much faster than normal."

"A month?" Sokka demanded while Amaya just gaped. That's it, Joo Dee was on cactus juice, there was no other explanation. Gyatso had always warned her of the traps of the big city…

"Six to eight weeks, actually," Joo Dee clarified, smile widening, if that was even possible.

Joo Dee escorted them inside the already furnished house and they poked around while she continued talking.

"Isn't it nice? I think you all will really enjoy it here!"

"Isn't there anyway we can see the Earth King sooner?" Sokka pleaded. "I'd enjoy it a whole lot more if we weren't staying so long," he wheedled.

"The Earth King is very busy running the finest city in the world, but he will see you as soon as time permits," Joo Dee said.

"If we're going to stay here for that long, we should spend our time looking for Appa," Amaya said, peering out the window into the garden. Joo Dee was right, it was pretty, but there was an underlying falseness to it, like it was covering up something ugly.

"I'll be happy to escort you anywhere you need to go!" Joo Dee beamed.

"We don't need a babysitter," Toph said, getting up and making for the door.

"Oh, I won't get in your way," Joo Dee said as she blocked Toph. "I'm happy to escort you anywhere, it's my job. It would make me a bad host if I left you alone. So, where should we start?"

"You know, I bet if we all jumped her now we could tie her up and leave her in the closet," Toph whispered to Amaya, who eyed Joo Dee, seriously considering it for a moment.

They started at the pet shop, Sokka harassing the owner, but he couldn't tell them anything. He kicked them out after Momo supposedly starting harassing his sparrowkeets, but from what Amaya saw, it was definitely the other way around. Next was the university, but the student they asked had no idea about sandbenders or the desert. He recommended they talk to Professor Zei, which they knew well was completely impossible, before making a hasty retreat.

Joo Dee took them back to their house, dumping them and telling them someone would be over with dinner before riding off.

"Come with me," Sokka said, pulling them across the straight just as a man ducked away from his window. Sokka knocked firmly on the door. It was opened by a nervous old man wearing a tasseled green hat.

"You're the Avatar," he said, looking at Amaya. "I heard you were in town. My name's Pong."

"Hi Pong," Amaya greeted.

"So Pong, what's the deal?" Sokka demanded. "Why's everyone so scared to talk about the war here?"

"War? Scared? I don't know what you're talking about," Pong insisted nervously.

"I can feel you shaking," Toph pointed out.

"Look, I'm just a minor government official," Pong said, looking around fearfully. "I've waited three years to get this house and I don't want to get in trouble."

"Get in trouble with who?" Katara asked.

"Shh!" Pong insisted. "Listen, you can't just go around talking about the war here. And stay away from the Dai Li."

With that, he slammed the door sharply in their faces.

* * *

"I know how we're going to see the Earth King!" Katara shouted as she ran into the living room the next morning clutching the newspaper.

"Whatcha got?" Amaya asked, sitting up eagerly.

"It says the Earth King is having a party tonight for his pet bear!" Katara read excitedly from the paper.

"You mean his platypus bear?" Amaya asked, frowning.

"It just says bear."

"Surely you mean his skunk bear."

"Armadillo bear?"

"Gopher bear!"

"It just… says bear."

"This place… it's weird," Toph sighed.

"The palace will be packed!" Katara continued. "We can sneak in with the crowd!"

"Won't work," Toph deadpanned, leaning back on a pile of pillows and snagging a pastry from a nearby platter.

"What do you mean?" Katara asked.

"No offense to you country people," Toph shrugged. "But this is a high society thing. You've got no manners."

"Excuse me?" Katara demanded. "You aren't exactly Lady Fancy Fingers."

Toph burped, further emphasizing Katara's point. "I learned proper behavior, I just _chose_ to leave it. It's a little too late for you."

"Aha, but you did learn!" Sokka pointed out.

"I'm already learning all the elements, how hard can manners be?" Amaya asked.

Sokka stood up and wrapped a curtain around his shoulders. "Greeting Avatar Amaya, Katara Water Tribe, Lord Momo of the Momo Dynasty. Your _Momoness._" He bowed to Amaya, who rolled her eyes and shoved his head down.

"Katara and Amaya might manage it," Toph admitted. "Sokka though, you'd be lucky to be taken for a busboy."

* * *

Amaya felt highly uncomfortable. She'd never worn makeup before, and now it was caked on her face by Toph's surprisingly skillful hands. Her hair was braided around an elaborate headpiece, a veil hanging over her forehead to hide her arrows, the green robes Toph had managed to get for them uncomfortably hot. Her feet were pinched and painful in the new shoes. The only thing Toph had allowed her to retain was a fan from Kyoshi Island. While the style wasn't nearly fancy enough for an event like this, she did admit it might be better is she kept a weapon on her.

Amaya, Toph, and Katara stood at the door, waiting to get in.

"Invitation," the surly guard barked.

"I think this is all you'll need," Toph said, pulling out her Beifong family ID.

"Invitation required," he sneered.

"Look," Toph snapped. "The pang's and the Quan Shi Rong's are waiting in there for us, and if you don't let us in I'm going to have to tell them who kept us out!"

"Step out of line," he ordered, a hand going to his sword, and the three girls stepped out obediently.

"Now what?" Amaya demanded, angrily swiping her veil out of her eyes. Katara glanced around and her eyes lit up. She seized their arms and dragged them over to a well-dressed man getting out of a carriage.

"Excuse me sir?" she said with faux nervousness. "We're in trouble. My cousin lost our invitation. She's blind," she added covertly. "Our parents are waiting inside and I'm sure they're getting worried by now. We're already late!" she fretted.

"It wouldn't be a problem," the man said, bowing. "My name is Long Feng."

"Thank you sir," Amaya said, her voice abnormally high-pitched and girly. Toph glared and Amaya rolled her eyes in reply. Long Feng lead them to the guard, who bowed and allowed them in.

"Do you see your parents?" the man asked.

"Oh, er, not yet," Katara said nervously. "But they must be here somewhere, we'll find them ourselves."

The three scurried away, only to bang into Long Feng's surprisingly solid chest. Amaya blinked. Under the robes, the man was well-built. Why would a noble be so fit? Her eyes narrowed. Of course, because he wasn't a noble. The guard deferred to him willingly. He was one of those Dai Li.

"As your escort, I would be remiss to leave three young ladies such as yourselves alone," Long Feng said, a vague threat implied.

They were stuck.

"Another crab puff please," Toph said regally.

The server turned, and Amaya blinked. Sokka? Where'd he get the uniform?

"Thanks for letting me in," he sulked as Toph took a crab puff. Amaya grabbed one and munched on it absently.

"Sorry," Katara apologized. "The guy that got us in won't leave us alone."

Sokka looked over her shoulder. "What guy?"

Amaya turned around and sure enough Long Feng was gone. She frowned.

"Huh, what do you know," she said. "He's a ninja."

"What are you doing here?"

"She's not," Amaya groaned as a nervous Joo Dee rushed over to them.

"Please, you must leave now, or we'll all be in terrible trouble," she insisted, reaching for Sokka, who blocked her with his tray.

"No way!" he protested. "Not until we see the Earth King!" He bumped into Amaya, who tripped over the long hem of her robe and slammed into a server pouring wine. It sloshed all over a lady with a gold tasseled fan.

"Oh drat," Amaya muttered. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She kicked out, a blast of air flying towards the woman and drying her off. Unfortunately, it also left her hair and robes shoved back away from her like she was standing in a wind tunnel. "Oh…"

"Oh my," the woman smiled, seemingly not the least bit disturbed. "I didn't know the Avatar would be here!"

Everyone turned to look. Joo Dee's smile slipped off. Amaya waved hesitantly, blushing bright red.

"You keep them busy," Sokka muttered. "We'll find the Earth King."

"Okay," Amaya nodded. "Hey everybody!" she yelled, hopping onto a table. She scooped up everyone's colored drinks and twirled them in a rainbow-colored ball over her head while balancing on top of a large, ornate decorative jar. Even the bear applauded.

"Amaya, the king!" Sokka hissed. Amaya looked over her shoulder to see a man on a palanquin being escorted into the room. She grinned.

"Finally!" She hopped on an air scooter and rolled down the table. "Nice to meet you your majesty!"

Long Feng emerged from the guarding line of Dai Li as the palanquin went out the other side of the room. She froze, air scooter dissipating as she landed lightly on top of the table. "Drat."

"Avatar Amaya, it is so nice to meet you officially," he said. "I am Long Feng, Chief Cultural Minister and Head of the Dai Li. I would like to talk to you in the library. Don't worry, your friends are waiting."

"Okay," Amaya said softly, hopping down and going bright red. She felt like a complete idiot. Long Feng lead her down the hall to a large room dimly lit y a fire crackling in the grate. Katara, Toph, Sokka and even Momo were indeed waiting for them. She moved to stand beside them while Long Feng took a seat in front of the fire.

"Why won't you let us see the king?" Sokka demanded. "We have vital information that could help win the war!"

"His majesty is much too busy with preserving the cultural heritage of the city, his top priority, to deal with the day-to-day minutia of the military. He has no time for political squabbles."

"This could be really important!" Amaya insisted.

"His time is devoted to decrees on that very subject. I am in charge of the other things, including the military."

"So he's just a figurehead," Katara realized.

"He's your puppet!" Toph accused.

"Oh no!" Long Feng said, seeming insulted. "his majesty is an icon, a god to his people! He can't sully his hands with the hourly changes of the war."

"But we found out about a solar eclipse that could leave the Fire Nation defenseless!" Sokka insisted. "You could mount an invasion, and-"

"Silence!"

Long Feng rose and Sokka took a step back, stunned. "It is the strict policy of Ba Sing Se that the war not be mentioned. Constant news of an escalating war could throw the citizens into a state of panic. Our economy would be ruined, our peaceful way of life, our traditions would disappear. In silencing talk of conflict, Ba Sing Se remains a peaceful, orderly utopia, the last one on earth."

"You can't do that!" Katara said, appalled and angry. "You can't keep the truth from all those people."

"I'll tell them myself if I have to!" Amaya shrieked. All those people with no idea that not five, ten, one mile away the Fire Nation nearly stormed the city. All those people with no idea of the world around them, the true world, what was going on. Living in blissful ignorance. Ignorance really was bliss, but in this case, it was also dangerous.

"Until now you have been treated as honored guests," Long Feng said, bending over so that he was nose to nose with Amaya. "But now you will be followed by Dai Li agents at all times. If you mention the war, you will be expelled from the city. I understand you're looking for your bison. It would be a shame if you couldn't complete your mission."

Amaya grinned ferally, exposing her canines. "Bring it, Long Feng. Trust me, I'm up to the challenge."

"Good," Long Feng nodded. "Joo Dee will escort you home."

A woman scurried inside, bowing.

"What happened to Joo Dee?" Katara demanded, recoiling. Because no matter what Long Feng said, this was not Joo Dee. This woman was completely different. They didn't even have the same hair color!

"I am Joo Dee," the woman said, with the same eerily constant smile the real Joo Dee had worn. "I will be your hostess as long as you are in our lovely city."

Amaya glared at Long Feng as they were escorted out. This was beyond tyranny. He had invaded the people's minds, programming them to see only the good and never the bad. But what was light without dark, pleasure without pain?

I really must be angry, Amaya mused. I'm waxing poetic inside my head.

* * *

**Squeals. Big romantic scene next chapter! Gah, so excited!**


	12. In Which Amaya Is Normal Sort Of

The next day saw Amaya with dark circles under her eyes and a severe lack of sleep. She hadn't gotten any sleep the past night, too worried about the state of Ba Sing Se.

"Hey Amaya?" Katara called through the door to her room. Blearily, Amaya looked up from the pillow.

"Hmph?" she questioned vaguely.

"Erm, Toph and I are going to have a girl's day. I think you should come to, get your mind off things."

Amaya rolled over, considering it for a second. A day at a spa sounded heavenly. "Okay," she sighed. "Just let me get ready." She sat up, rebraided her hair, and stood. "Okay."

Katara looked at her quizzically. "Okay, come on."

They asked the new Joo Dee for directions before making their way down the street to a spa.

"The Fancy Lady Day Spa," Toph said, recalling the name Joo Dee had given them. "Sounds like my kind of place."

Amaya breathed in the scent of steam and perfumes that drifted from inside. "Come on Toph, it can't be that bad."

"Fine," Toph slumped. "So long as they don't touch my feet."

They touched her feet. The pedicurist was kicked through a wall.

Amaya and Katara quickly gave up that activity and went for something more suited to Toph, namely a mud bath. They stripped and slid into the volcanic mud, attendants placing cucumbers over their eyes and spreading some paste on their faces. It was relaxing, just sitting there and soaking, smelling the expensive oil candles.

But of course, Toph being Toph, she turned her mud mask into a horrible grinning face, terrifying her attendant out of her wits. When Amaya heard eh scream she casually opened on eye, plucking a cucumber off of her eyes and popping it in her mouth. She saw Toph's face and joined Katara's giggles.

After that they hosed off, wrapping their bodies and hair in towels and stepping into a steam room. Toph bent hot rocks onto the coals and Katara send waves of water over it, adding more steam. Amaya would occasionally waft the steam around or form it into absent arrows and shapes, but mostly they just relaxed. The only reason Amaya allowed herself to do that was because the spa owner had taken one look at her tattoos and declared everything to be on the house. Otherwise, there was no way they would be able to afford all that pampering.

They stepped out and were greeted by several hairdressers and makeup artists who went to town on their faces. Toph was looking scarily feminine, Katara's famous hair loopies were shiny and lustrous, and Amaya's hair was actually down for one, soft waves reaching her rear.

They left after that, feeling incredibly relaxed as they wandered through the roads, in no hurry to get back to Sokka.

"Well, I don't usually go in for stuff like that, but it wasn't so bad," Toph admitted. "I actually feel… girly."

"That's good," Katara grinned. "It's about time we girls all did something fun together."

"Sometimes it's good to let your inner giggly girl out," Amaya reasoned as they stepped onto a bridge. "Every girl has an inner princess I guess."

They walked across the bridge, three girls going across the other way.

"Great makeup," one of them said snidely to Toph as they continued. "For a clown!"

"Just ignore them," Katara said as they paused on the other side of the bridge. Amaya clenched her fists, trying to keep from going postal on the trio of snobs.

"I think she looks cute," one of the other girls added. "Like that time we put a sweater on your pet poodle monkey!"

"Haha, good one!"

"Let's go Toph," Katara said, pulling her away, but Toph stayed firm.

"No, no, that is a good one!" Toph said shakily. "Like your poodle monkey!" She let out a ha of laughter. "You know what else is a good one?" She turned and stomped, the bridge dropping out from under the three girls and dumping them into the water. Amaya and Katara ran over, staring down at the sopping and shocked girls as their hair fell down and their makeup ran.

"Now that was funny," Katara grinned. She and Amaya met eyes and nodded, smiling. In concert, they raised their arms and swished them, sending the girls screaming downstream.

"Toph!" Katara called as she and Amaya raced after her. "Those girls don't know what they're talking about," she comforted.

"It's okay," Toph said. "One of the great things about being blind is I don't have to worry about appearances. I'm not looking for anyone's approval. I- I… I know who I am," she sniffled.

"And that's what I love about you Toph," Katara said. "You're so strong and confident and self-assured."

"It doesn't really matter," Amaya said. "But Toph? You're really pretty."

"I am?" Toph asked. Katara and Amaya both agreed. "I'd return the compliment, but I don't actually know what you look like. Thanks guys."

"You're welcome," Amaya grinned. She swayed suddenly, clutching the wall.

_Zuko was standing in a tea shop, wearing an apron and pouring tea for a customer. His hair was still short, but it had grown out some. He seemed… happier._

"Amaya?" Katara asked, looking at her worriedly as she swayed and staggered against the wall. "Are you okay?"

"What's up Twinkle Toes?" Toph demanded. "Your delicate self couldn't handle the excessive primping."

"I've… I've got to check something," Amaya said as she stood up.

"We'll come too," Katara said, looking at her with concern. "Is everything okay?"

"It's fine," Amaya said. "I have to do this by myself."

"Is this an Avatar thing?" Toph asked shrewdly.

Amaya nodded gratefully. "I think so."

"Okay," Katara submitted. "We'll see you back at the house."

"See you," Amaya waved, before taking off down another lane, heading for the wall. She was headed for the lower ring, she knew that much from the shabby state of the tea room and its occupants. But she was going to get to the bottom of why these dreams were now happening in the daytime. Did it have something to do with the fact that Zuko was in the same town? Was proximity the key?

Amaya didn't bother with customs, merely running up the side of the wall and hopping over the top, jumping onto the roof of the buildings in the middle ring. The town hall received the same treatment, oldest building or not. She made it to the lower ring in what was probably record time and jumped straight to the ground in the middle of a startled group of shoppers.

"I need to find a tea room," she said with an embarrassed smile. "I'm looking for a friend."

"You're the Avatar!" a woman realized. Amaya nodded. "I bet you're looking for Pao's, down the last right off this street. They have the best tea in the city now that that old man's started working there."

"Kind of chubby, grey hair, long beard?" Amaya asked eagerly.

"Yes," the woman nodded, seemingly surprised at her intensity. "Mushi, I think his name is."

"Thank you!" Amaya grinned, waving over her shoulder as she dashed off, leaping heedlessly over carts and dodging around startled pedestrians. She followed the woman's instructions and found herself at a small, ramshackle tea shop just as the lady had directed. She reached for the door and paused.

What was she doing? She was literally going into the lion's den, a place where two Firebenders who had pursued her across the world worked. Was she crazy? Probably. But… it was Zuko. Maybe it was just wishful thinking, but she thought maybe he felt the same way she did. She had to know.

"Darn you Zuko," she muttered. "How did you get under my skin like this?"

Still, she couldn't just charge in like an idiot. She pulled her cape up over her head, shadowing her arrows, and ducked her head, adopting a limp as she slipped inside and took a seat at a table in a shadowy corner, observing the room from under her cowl. There were just a few people there, a pair of guards in the center table and a girl sitting in the corner like she was, eyes following the progress of a young man as he moved about the shop. Amaya inhaled sharply. It wasn't just a dream. He really was here.

Zuko looked up as Iroh nudged him.

"We have a new customer," he said, pointing to the darkest table in the whole shop. "Go, take her order!"

Zuko picked up a tray and deposited the tea on the guards table, tucking the empty tray under his arm before proceeding to the table. The woman looked vaguely familiar, but her face was hidden by a burnt orange shawl. Her hands rested on the table in front of her, twitching like worried spiders and wrapped in orange fabric.

"My name is Lee," he said dully. "May I take your order?"

To his surprise, the woman snorted softly. "Lee? Really?"

Zuko froze as the woman lifted her hands and pushed back her hood, revealing a blue arrow tattooed across her forehead.

"Amaya," he breathed, looking at familiar soft grey eyes. She smiled up at him.

"Hello Zuko," she said just as quietly. "I'm not here for tea, by the way. I'm here to talk." She gestured to the chair opposite her. Zuko placed the tray on the table and sat stiffly.

Amaya was proud of herself for sounding so calm and mature. Inside however, she was an emotional wreck as golden eyes searched her face, and silver prodded back.

"Why are you here?" Zuko asked softly. "You just handed yourself over to me, you realize that?"

Amaya smiled confidently. "Oh, you won't turn me in." She reached out absently, tracing an arrow over his hand as she had once in a dream. He seized her wrist and her eyes shot to him, questioning and slightly pained. Immediately, he loosened his grip.

"Don't think you know me," he said warningly.

"I don't think that," Amaya shrugged, pulling her hand away and resuming her tracing. "But I'd like to fix that, if you'd be willing."

Zuko cocked his head at her, not understanding. He narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

Amaya opened her mouth to respond, but the words wouldn't come. She closed her mouth again, blushing. Zuko watched her curiously as red stained her cheeks. Actually, that wasn't just her emotions. He hadn't registered it until now, but she was wearing makeup, the pink rouge of her cheek enhancing her complexion. There were smudges of chocolatey shadow over her eyes, lined in black, and her lashes seemed more prominent, drawing all the attention to her eyes. Her hair was loose, which he had never seen before, flowing around her shoulders.

Was it just him, or did she look prettier than usual?

Amaya covered her eyes with on hand, leaning forward and bracing her elbow in the table. She laughed loudly, drawing looks from all around the shop as her shoulders shook. She removed her hand and tilted her head back before looking him in the eye again. She shook her head and grinned at him.

"I can stop a drill from boring through the outer wall _while_ taking on Azula, but asking a guy out completely escapes me," she chuckled, but inwardly she was still panicking. She was asking him out? What on earth possessed her to do that? Still though, the idea wasn't unappealing. A normal date, just like they might have done if she _wasn't_ the Avatar and he _wasn't_ the Fire Prince and they _weren't_ supposed to be enemies. "I don't know whether to laugh of smack myself."

Zuko blinked. "You're… asking me out?" He was nearly as thrown as she seemed to be, if not more so. For some reason, after all they'd been through, both together and on opposite sides, an actual date seemed terrifying, and… abnormally normal.

"Well, I'm attempting to," she admitted sheepishly. "So far I can't seem to make the words come out."

Zuko thought about it. Is this what his life might have been like? Going on dates with a girl he liked, maybe loved, meeting her in a tea shop as he worked, admiring her appearance and not just her fighting technique. It sounded horribly appealing, like a little island of sanity in this crazy life he'd been shoved into.

"Okay," he nodded decisively.

She blinked, jerking her head up to stare at him in surprise. "Seriously? I was hoping for you not attacking me at best, honestly."

Zuko gave her a sharp look. "I can attack you if you'd like. In fact I probably should," he muttered to himself.

"No you shouldn't," Amaya said, shaking her head. "I think you and I have had the same problem."

"And what's that?" he asked. "What could we have in common? We're completely different people."

"Oh yes," Amaya snorted. "I'm not denying that. But we've both had this horrible case of real life rear up. I actually went to a spa to try and calm down," she said, gesturing to her face. He squinted. Underneath all the makeup he could see that she looked tired, worn, older than when he'd last seen her.

When he'd last seen her, she had been comforting him as she healed his uncle's wound from Azula, even though he'd tried his hardest to drive her back. He remembered the look in her eyes. He remembered the times he had sworn he could feel her presence.

"Can I ask you something?" he said suddenly, eager for an answer as to why that was.

"Sure," she nodded.

"Do you ever…?" he paused. This would sound crazy, but then again, they'd already admitted to dreaming about each other. "The Avatar can travel in spirit form, right?"

She nodded, frowning. "Yes. That's how I go to the spirit world."

"Do you ever visit me like that?" he asked.

Amaya's eyes softened in understanding. "Ah. So my dreams weren't just dreams."

"Dreams?"

"Yes, dreams. These past few nights I keep dreaming of you. I remember once you were with a boy in a field of sunflowers, and you were teaching him how to use dao broadswords. And then…" She frowned. "You were on top of a mountain."

"You were there," he breathed.

"In spirit only, if anything," she admitted. "I… don't really know how I did it, but that's the only way I can explain it, is traveling as a spirit."

Zuko was suddenly horribly embarrassed that she had seen him when he was so vulnerable, and inexplicably angry that she had intruded.

"It's not that I mean to do it, either," she mused. "It just sort of happens. I do enjoy it though," she said with a small smile. "I meant what I said. You'd make a good father."

"Hah," Zuko snorted. "Right. I'd be lucky if I make it that far."

"Oh, you will if I have anything to say about it," Amaya said confidently. "After all, I'd be extremely annoyed if you got yourself killed before our date." She glanced at the sky outside, checking the time, and realized she'd been here for almost an hour. "Oh no. I've got to get back to the others. They'll be wondering where I am." She stood up. "Would it be alright if I met you here after sunset?"

Zuko nodded, and she took a step towards the door. Amaya looked back at him hesitantly. Quick as a flash, she dipped down and pecked his cheek before walking out of the shop with a spring in her step.

"And what was that?" Iroh asked, coming over to the table. "Who was that girl?"

Zuko stared at the door, a hand raised to his cheek. "Amaya."

* * *

It had taken her ages to get away from Sokka and Katara's questions. Toph was completely blasé about the whole thing, but she had managed to get free. In a spurt of femininity, she had gotten into the makeup Toph had used when they snuck into the party and applied some rather amateurishly, but at least it was lighter than all the stuff that had been caked on her face after the spa.

She repeated her wild sprint through the city even faster with the lack of pedestrians, getting to the tea shop even faster than last time. She ducked into an alley by the shop and waited. It wasn't long before Zuko stepped out, looking around cautiously. He seemed to have dressed up a bit too, and she didn't feel as silly for wearing makeup anymore. However…

"What on earth did you do to your hair?" she asked, covering her mouth to suppress giggles as she slipped from the alley. It was wet and parted down the middle, plastered to either side of his hair.

"My uncle," he grumbled by way of explanation. She shook her head and reached up, ruffling his hair until it fell in its normal shaggy way.

"Much better," she grinned. "So, what are we doing?"

"You asked me," Zuko shrugged.

"You're the guy," Amaya pointed out. "We could try dinner."

"Okay," he agreed. Dinner seemed safe. He could do dinner. Maybe. If his palms would quit sweating and his heart would slow down.

"Any ideas?" she asked. "I haven't been in the lower ring since I came into the city. Actually, it's a miracle I made it here today."

"Why's that?" Zuko asked, touching her elbow gently to guide her to a restaurant he and Iroh had eaten at a few nights before. The food was alright, he recalled.

Amaya blushed, wincing. "Well, I may have inadvertently, kind of, sort of… Well, I challenged the Head of the Dai Li. And I threatened him too. Suffice it to say, he's annoyed with me."

Zuko shook his head. Of course she had. Because the girl couldn't ever seem to restrain herself. But still, it made her interesting. "That sounds like something you would do."

Amaya shrugged guiltily. "Well, I was annoyed. He wouldn't let me talk to the Earth King, I had just had to put on a show to distract all the nobles, and Toph put me in a _dress_ of all things."

"You're wearing a dress now and you seem to be okay," Zuko pointed out. Amaya looked down at her Kyoshi Warrior skirt. It was the nicest thing she had, and it blended in better in the Earth kingdom than yellow and orange.

"This is actually made for fighting," she said with a weak grin. "From the Kyoshi Warriors."

"Oh yeah," he said, frowning as he remembered. "The girls with the fans and the sea serpent."

"Don't knock the fans," Amaya teased, pulling one out and thwacking his shoulder lightly with it. "And the Unagi is a sweetheart."

"Only you," Zuko said, shaking his head again. "Here," he said, pointing to the open restaurant. They stepped inside, sitting down at a table by the street. They ordered their food and that was when things got awkward.

Amaya was panicking. Zuko was a prince, surely he knew all about manners and etiquette, and she barely knew which utensils to use. What if she seemed unrefined? What if he thought she was too common? _Why was she freaking out about this?_

Zuko, meanwhile, was at a loss as well. What did Amaya expect him to do? Was he supposed to make her laugh? He'd never been on a dinner date before, how was he supposed to act? Should he wait for her to start a conversation? The safest thing would be a compliment.

"You look…" he paused. "Different from earlier," he finished lamely. She looked up at him with wide eyes.

"O-oh," she said softly, self-consciously brushing some stray hair over her ears. "I just didn't like all that makeup, it was uncomfortable, so I…"

"It's not bad!" he insisted, immediately knowing he had offended her. "I mean, you don't look bad, you look really pretty, but it's just… different from earlier," he finished weakly when he saw that she was looking at him strangely.

"You think I look pretty?" she asked softly.

"Er, well, yeah," he admitted, squirming self-consciously. Was he doing this right? Had he said something wrong?

"Thanks," she said. "I… You look handsome too." She gave him a grin. "Especially now that I fixed your hair." They shared a small laugh at that before the awkward silence came back. Amaya dealt by focusing all of her attention on her food, placing a dumpling in her mouth and staring out over the street. She swallowed and sighed.

"What's wrong?" Zuko asked, hearing the heavy exhalation.

"Nothing," she said, sighing again. "It's just… Is this as awkward for you as it is for me?" she said glumly, placing her chin in her hands. "I almost wish you would attack me. At least I'd know how to handle that."

Zuko was suddenly struck with inspiration. He remembered how she seemed to light up when they fought, how much more open she was. She almost seemed to _flirt_ while spinning in and out of reach. Maybe for them, familiar territory was the best place to start.

"I have an idea," he said. She looked up at him interestedly.

"What is it?" she asked.

"You'll see," Zuko said, suddenly feeling confident enough to tease her. "Are you done?"

She nodded eagerly, pushing her bowl away to emphasize the point. Zuko paid and they left the restaurant.

"Where are we going?" Amaya asked eagerly.

"You'll see," Zuko insisted as he pulled her around a corner. In front of them was a large training field lined with weapons on all sides. There were targets for archery practice across the field, several straw dummies in the center, and a wide expanse for bending strewn with boulders.

"What is this?" Amaya asked, looking around.

"A training ground for civilians," Zuko said. "I found it the other day. I can't bend here, but… You said you'd be more comfortable if I attacked you." Suddenly his idea seemed incredibly stupid. What sort of strange person was he to suggest sparring as a date?

"Hand to hand, or weapons?"

Zuko looked up at her in surprise. "What?"

She gave him a pointed look. "I said, hand to hand or weapons. Which one?"

"You mean you'd like to?" he blinked, surprised. Maybe she was just as strange as he was.

"Yeah," she nodded. "I love sparring. It used to worry the monks in all honesty. I mean, they give a half hour lecture on peace and then I go and throw three boys out of the ring while grinning…" She looked up at him almost apologetically. "I've never really been girly."

"Three boys, huh?" Zuko asked. She nodded self-depreciatingly. "Well, I think you'll find me a bigger challenge." His heart thudded as silver eyes challenged him in the dimming light.

"Oh really?" she asked, grinning widely. "Don't count your pig chickens before they hatch, Zuko. I'm no slouch myself."

"Weapons," Zuko said, crossing to the racks. He examined the dao broadswords. They were clearly cast-offs from soldiers, and some of them were in pretty bad condition, but a few pairs weren't so bad. He selected the pair in the best shape and turned to see Amaya holding a staff and grinning.

"Taking your time I see," she said. "Trying to stall?"

"Not at all," Zuko replied. He took a stance across from her. "Ready?"

She nodded, and he attacked.

They ended up fighting for a good half hour before they were both panting.

"Tired, Zuko?" Amaya grinned around her own pants.

"Just thought… you could use a break," he said. She chuckled and reached down, unfastening the overskirt from her outfit, revealing the baggy green trousers underneath. Without a hint of shame, she reached up and pulled her top off, leaving her in a thin green undershirt. She trembled a bit as the cool night air struck her sweaty skin, and shivered again when she saw Zuko had shed a few layers himself. He was strong, but it was in a lean sort of way, which she immediately decided she vastly preferred to the usual bulky build of a fighter.

Amaya fanned herself jokingly, winking, before she attacked again. Zuko blocked her strike, catching the staff between the crossed swords. He held it on one hilt, the other coming away to swipe perilously close to her stomach. Amaya adjusted the angle of her staff and twisted it sharply, wrenching one sword out of his hand.

Down one weapon, Zuko came forwards harder in a flurry of strong strikes from all directions. Amaya was forced to back up as she blocked to absorb some of the strength of the blows. She felt her back hit a wall and saw Zuko's eyes spark triumphantly. She shoved her staff forwards as hard as she could, sending him reeling back. She made to retract her staff, but the blade was imbedded in the wood and instead it was wrenched away.

"Hand to hand?" she asked and Zuko nodded, abandoning the weapons by the side of the ring and coming towards her again, leg extended in a kick. Amaya placed a hand on his thigh, pushing the limb higher and throwing him off balance. Zuko rolled backwards, getting some space to regain his stance while Amaya came forwards. She punched and he blocked her solidly, reaching down and cupping her leg as well, grabbing her shoulder and pushing her back.

He blinked. He had no idea how she did it, but somehow she sort of crawled over his shoulder, pushing him hard and sending him sprawling again.

"Airbenders," she smiled. "We're slippery."

He jumped up and came at her with a sequence of punches that she slipped around and ducked under. He dragged a fist sideways through the air and she caught it, spinning behind him and adjusting her grip so that his arm was behind his back. He spun, correcting his arm's position and she let go, backflipping away before regaining her stance. Zuko came towards her, kicking once more, and she repeated the move from before, just like he did. However, this time when he had her in his grip, he pressed her close so she couldn't get away. They fell onto the mat with a thump.

Zuko stared at the girl under him, wide grey eyes blinking at him in surprise. Amaya stared at Zuko crouching over her, framed by the moon. She was panting and so was he, both of them dripping sweat. Her thigh burned where he had a hold of it, and her leg had ended up hitched halfway around his waist in the fall.

Abruptly, Zuko rolled off of her, suddenly realizing what a compromising position they were in. But to his surprise, she rolled with him, coming out crouched over him with her hands on either side of his head. Her hair fell over her shoulders, forming a curtain around them, eyes fairly glowing in the darkness. Zuko inhaled sharply.

"Hmm," Amaya smiled teasingly. "Zuko gives up the advantage. Whyever would you do that?"

"This isn't…" But his argument was gone as she leaned forwards some, her chest brushing against his when they panted.

Amaya had no idea what she was doing anymore, whether it was right or wrong, if she cared. Her heart had completely yanked control away from her head, and she was okay with that. At least it seemed to know what it was doing.

"This isn't what?" she asked softly. This was too intimate for loud voices. After all, she had Zuko under her, and in all honesty, he looked as okay with it as she was.

"It isn't… um, proper," he finished, blushing.

"I very rarely am," Amaya grinned.

She suddenly found herself once more under Zuko, him crouching beside her. Now she was the one pinned between his arms. She gasped at the sudden shift, and gasped again when he leaned closer.

"I'll… I'll understand if you stop me," he said. Amaya understood. He was giving her a choice. She could chose to accept him, and let him kiss her, or she could reject him and let them remain as enemies.

"I won't," Amaya said, shaking her head. Zuko leaned forwards and very gently, he brushed his lips against hers, just for a moment to see how he would be received. Below him, Amaya's eyes were closed softly and she was smiling. Zuko felt simultaneously hot and cold as he leaned forwards again, pressing more insistently at her mouth. She willingly accepted him, snaking her hands up to rest on his shoulders. She parted her lips and his tongue slipped inside hesitantly. She coaxed it further in with her own, and they began a power struggle, neither with a personality to back down. Amaya's hands moved further up, around his neck, and Zuko shifted his weight to his right arm, digging his left hand into her hair and savoring the soft texture. Their lips moved against each other softly and then faster before slowing down again.

Zuko pulled away first, looking down at her. Amaya looked back, her lips swollen and slightly red. Her hair was disheveled from where his hand had combed through it, and her lipstick was smeared, but he had never seen her look better.

"You have my permission to do that anytime you want," Amaya said softly, blushing and grinning. Zuko laughed softly, dipping his head so that their foreheads touched.

"You know that after this, things will have to go back to normal if we see each other again," Zuko said. Amaya sighed sadly.

"I know. But a girl can dream right?"

"You… you should know," Zuko said, leaning back and settling on his knees. Amaya sat up and twisted around to face him.

"What should I know?" she asked. Zuko blushed.

"I… I think… I may…"

She grinned at him, leaning forwards and pecking him on the lips once more. "I think I may too," she agreed, and he gave her a relieved smile. "But I get what you mean. Sokka and Toph don't know." She frowned. "Actually, Toph might. She's more observant than we give her credit for."

"What about the Water Tribe girl?" Zuko asked.

"She figured it out," Amaya admitted. "And she seems fairly okay with it, I'll admit. Sokka would lose it though."

"Uncle would be ecstatic," Zuko thought. "The rest of my family would be furious."

"Aw, I thought Azula and I were getting along," Amaya quipped.

"Actually, they'd be thrilled. They'd say I did a good job, getting the Avatar's affection."

"Oh, you've got that," Amaya grinned, giving him another peck. Zuko caught the back of her head and kept her close, unwilling to let her go.

When he finally did, Amaya glanced over his shoulder to see the sky starting to lighten. "We stayed out all night," she realized, blinking in surprise.

"I have to go!" the both said, and then gave each other looks.

"My uncle," Zuko offered.

"My friends," Amaya nodded.

Hastily, they stood up and pulled on their clothes, both of them blushing furiously as they faced each other again and prepared to go their separate ways.

"Erm, I had a great time," Zuko admitted.

"Mm, me too," Amaya smiled. "I'd say let's to this again, but… Real life." Zuko nodded in understanding. "I'll see you around though, I don't doubt it." She grinned. He reached out and she went willingly to his arms, pressing her lips to his one final time before backing away and jumping up to the rooftops. Zuko watched as she left, bounding from rooftop to rooftop on legs he now knew felt as strong and feminine as they looked. He groaned.

What was he supposed to do now?

He made his way home quickly to the little apartment he shared with Iroh and slipped inside using every bit of the stealth the Blue Spirit was known for he paused, listening. Where were uncle's snores?

A lamp flicked on and Zuko winced, freezing. _Caught._

"And just where have you been all night, young man?" Iroh asked.

"Out," Zuko replied absently.

"Out doing what?"

"Just… things."

"Nice lipstick. Not really your color though."

Zuko's hand jumped to his mouth and he glanced in the mirror. Sure enough, a bit of Amaya's lipstick lingered in the corner of his mouth. He wiped it off angrily, triggering booming laughs from his uncle.

"Out with a girl?" he pressed. "Who? Was it that lovely girl from the tea shop? What was her name?"

"Amaya," Zuko supplied without really meaning to, confirming his uncle's suspicions.

"Aha!" Iroh grinned. "And if I'm not mistaken, is Amaya not the name of a certain Avatar?"

"Alright, I was with her, okay!" Zuko shouted, clenching his fists.

"Wonderful!" Iroh smiled, crossing the room and hugging his nephew, much to his surprise. "I'm glad you finally stopped denying your feelings. And from the looks of it, you did something about it."

Zuko growled, shoving his uncle away irritably and stalking into his room.

"How was your date?" Iroh called after him, thoroughly enjoying this.

Zuko slid the door open slightly. "It was nice," he admitted quietly, before shutting the door.

"Did she kiss you back?" Iroh called.

"Shut up!" cried a next door neighbor through the wall, which only made Iroh laugh harder.

* * *

Amaya crept back into the house, satisfied she'd made it back before anyone woke up, slipping into her bed and sighing in girlish content as she remembered the best night she'd ever had, drifting off to sleep pleasantly.

Unfortunately, she had failed to take into account that when you stay out all night, the morning had a nasty habit of coming soon after.

"Amaya?" Katara said, shaking her awake. "Amaya, are you okay? It's nearly noon, I thought you were up!"

Amaya grumbled and pulled her covers over her head.

"Come on, the day's half gone already."

Amaya sat up, rubbing her eyes blearily, and the previous night came rushing back. A giddy smile spread across her face.

"Amaya?" Katara asked, observing the expression nervously. "Are you okay?"

"I'm great!" she sighed, hauling herself out of bed and walking out of the room. She fixed her hair and drifted to the kitchen, walking on air as she fixed herself some food. Toph, Sokka, and Katara all stared at her as she ate staring out the window, humming dreamily.

"Okay, I can't take this anymore," Sokka demanded. "You look like someone just announced the end of the war, and yet you have the biggest circles I've ever seen under your eyes. What's going on?"

"Probably has something to do with where she snuck off to last night," Toph shrugged.

Katara and Sokka looked at her.

"You snuck out?" Sokka demanded. "Where'd you go?"

"Nowhere," Amaya said defensively. Katara stepped closer, narrowing her eyes. "What?" Amaya asked, leaning away nervously.

"Are you… wearing makeup?"

"No!"

Katara swiped a finger across her eyelid and it come away with a faint dusting of blue shadow. "You are?"

"Why'd you get dressed up just to go out?" Sokka asked in confusion.

"You really are an idiot, aren't you?" Toph snorted. "Obviously she was with a guy."

"Amaya?" Sokka squeaked. "Who is this guy? Do I know him? Why'd you sneak off?"

Katara's eyes were wide and she just stared, grasping immediately what was going on.

"Come on idiot," Toph said, seizing Sokka by the arm and dragging him out kicking and screaming. "She'll tell us if she wants. Personally, I don't want all the _details."_

"Amaya?" Katara asked calmly. "Is Toph telling the truth?"

Amaya nodded wearily.

"Was it Zuko?"

Another nod.

"Did you kiss him?"

Amaya looked up at her in surprise, but Katara was grinning.

"What, you thought I'd scream and pitch a fit? We've got Sokka for that. Besides, I already told you I'd be okay with this is anything came of it, so long as you both take into account how dangerous this is."

"Thanks," Amaya sighed, relieved.

"So, tell me!" Katara squealed, pulling her onto the pillows. "What happened?"

Amaya quickly explained about the daylight dreams, and that was what made her rush off. She told her about her visit to the tea shop, then her asking him out. They both shared a laugh at Zuko's hair, and Katara commiserated on the awkwardness.

"He really took you sparring?" Katara asked.

"Yeah," Amaya nodded. "It was great!"

"If you say so," Katara nodded. "I see how it could be sort of romantic, in a twisted 'you and Zuko' sort of way. Now, the big question. Did he kiss you?"

"Yeah," Amaya said, nodding dreamily. "It was _perfect."_

"Okay okay," Katara said, holding up her hands. "I don't want to hear about how he 'pinned you to the ground like a macho man and had his way with you.'"

"Erm," Amaya said, shifting uncomfortably.

Katara blinked. "Is that what really happened?"

"Little bit."

"Ew, okay, I'm leaving now. Enjoy cloud nine."

"I will," Amaya smiled.

* * *

"Hey."

Zuko looked up from serving a cup of tea to a girl in a cloak. She threw back her hood and he realized it was the Water Tribe girl, Katara.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Looking out for Amaya," she said, narrowing her eyes.

"She told you?"

"Look, I'm going to be frank," Katara said. "I already figured it out. But here's the thing. For now, I'm on board. But if you ever hurt her, you'll have some seriously annoyed benders and a guy with a boomerang to deal with. What you two are doing is dangerous enough as it is, and Amaya's already going out on a limb trusting you after all you've done. Just so you're aware," she finished. "She's like my sister. Break her heart, and I will break your face."

"I don't intend to," Zuko said softly. He wasn't thrilled with being talked down to and threatened, but he understood where Katara was coming from. Some of the points she brought up were the points he himself had worried about when he first realized he cared for Amaya. In fact, he even respected her for her loyalty to her friend and her courage in coming to him. Maybe she wasn't so bad, even if she did knock him out at the North Pole.

Katara's face lost its angry look. "That's what I thought. And that's why I haven't water whipped you halfway to the North Pole yet."

She turned and stalked out and Zuko looked after her, blinking and wondering just quite what he had gotten into.


	13. In Which the Dai Li Get Over Themselves

"We found a printer to make our lost Appa posters!" Katara cried happily as she and Amaya burst into their house. Katara pulled one of the posters from her bag and held it up, both of them grinning.

"Hey!" Sokka protested, offended. "I thought I was supposed to make the posters." He held up a sheet of paper with a drawing of… something on it. "I've been working on my Appa all day!"

Amaya blinked. That was Appa?

"Sokka," she said patiently. "The arrow is on his _head._"

"That _is_ his head!" he insisted while Katara giggled.

"Then why are there feet coming out of it?" she asked, squinting at the picture.

"Those are his _horns!"_ He sighed. "I haven't seen him in a while, okay?"

"Well I think it looks just like him!" Toph snickered.

"Thank you! You know, I worked really hard on…" Sokka said, before catching on. "Why do you feel the need to do that?"

"Let's just stick to the professional versions," Katara said gently. Sokka screamed and ripped his picture to shreds.

"For what it's worth, I'm sure Appa would have liked it," Amaya smiled. "I'm going to go drop the leaflets. Hey Momo, you want to help?"

Momo chattered and jumped for the bag hanging over her shoulder. Amaya grinned, grabbing a bag more suited to his size and dropping it over his head. She placed a bunch of leaflets inside.

"Come on," she said. Momo jumped onto her shoulder as she ran out, grinning happily. She jumped onto her glider and took off, Momo flying behind her, leaflets streaming from their bags.

"Amaya seems really happy lately," Sokka observed. "What's with that?"

"She's not allowed to be happy?" Katara asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, it's just that up until a day or so ago she was really… quiet," Sokka shrugged. "I just want to know what got her cheered up, that's all."

"She's probably just happy we're finally getting to search for Appa," Toph shrugged.

"And she's got a boyfriend," Katara giggled behind her hand.

"What'd you say?" Sokka asked.

"Oh, nothing."

* * *

Amaya soared over the streets of Ba Sing Se, Momo by her side, spreading posters all over. She followed the streets of the city, flying over them so she made sure they were everywhere. She covered the upper ring before moving to the middle, finishing that up too before heading on to the lower ring. She soared overhead, relishing the feeling of flying. She hadn't been able to get up in the air in a while, and even if she did have a job to do, it was still nice.

She angled downwards, grinning slightly as she saw the tea shop where Zuko worked. She'd place the blame for her recent good mood squarely at his feet. She'd felt light as air lately, more confident about everything, including finding Appa and the fight against the Fire Lord even if they weren't going well.

Speaking of Zuko, he was just coming out of the tea shop, leaning against the outside. She grinned as he reached up, catching one of the fliers as it fluttered down from her bag. He looked up, scanning the sky for her, before quickly climbing onto the roof to get a better view.

"Looking for someone?" she grinned, flying past him. She turned and blew him a kiss, grinning, before she circled back and landed lightly on top of the roof next to him. "Hey," she greeted shyly.

"Hey," Zuko said softly. He held up the flyer. "Your bison is gone?"

"Yeah," Amaya nodded sadly. "In the desert, a bunch of Sandbenders took him. We know he's in the city, but we have no idea where. We've been here almost a week and there's been no sign of him."

"You're really down about this, aren't you?" Zuko said, observing her sad, downcast eyes and slumped shoulders.

"Well, yeah," Amaya said. "He's been with me since I was old enough to take my flyer's tests."

Zuko looked at her quizzically. "Flyer's test? I thought all Airbenders flew?"

Amaya giggled. "Well, yes, but before we're allowed to have a glider we have to pass a gliding test. It's up to our mentor to teach us. And before we're allowed to fly our sky bison solo, we have to take a test. We can go up with licensed flyers for training, but other than that you're grounded until you pass your tests." She tilted her chin proudly. "I was a prodigy, I took my tests early."

"Azula was a prodigy," Zuko said, looking out over the city. Amaya sighed, moving to his side.

"Between you and me, you're harder to beat," she said, snuggling up to his side. He draped an arm around her shoulders casually and Amaya smiled. It was odd how easy it was for them to comfortable with each other now that they had decided to be open about how they felt.

"I am?" Zuko asked, looking down at her with a flicker of pride in his eyes. "Really?"

"Yup," Amaya nodded. "Definitely. Azula's got sheer, raw power on her side. Well, so do you, but her fighting is sneakier. It's more irritating than anything to fight her, once you figure out that she relies on tricks. You're more straight forwards. I may not have to watch my back, but I most definitely need to watch my front."

"You'd make a good teacher," Zuko said, observing her shrewdly. "You're good at explaining things."

Amaya laughed. "Well, maybe, but I doubt I'd get many students willing to put up with me for very long. It was always Aang who got people to hang around and listen when he tried to teach them something."

"Aang?"

"An old friend," Amaya explained. "We lived in the same temple. I was the one who got him ready for his flying test."

"Why didn't his mentor?"

"Well, Monk Kyro…," Amaya paused. "Quite frankly, he hated me and Aang both because we caused so much trouble." She contemplated for a moment. "It might also have something to do with the number of times we threw cakes on his head."

"Airbenders are strange," Zuko said, shaking his head.

"Nah, just me," Amaya grinned. "And Gyatso. It was him that taught me how to do that." She looked at the sun, rising higher in the sky by the minute. She'd already been gone a good three hours, and she still had flyers to spread. If she lingered any longer, she'd have to answer a bunch of awkward questions about what took her so long.

"You have to go," Zuko deduced, looking at her face. Amaya nodded.

"I still have to spread these flyers," she said, gesturing to her bag, which was still a quarter full. She murmured to herself, "I hope we find him soon."

"You will," Zuko encouraged. "Go on. I have to get back inside anyway."

"Okay," Amaya nodded. She kissed him quickly and opened her glider, soaring into the air with flyers trailing behind her.

* * *

"Flyers spread, check!" Amaya crowed as she stepped into their little house. Sokka and Katara were playing some sort of card game and Toph was throwing a rock at the wall repeatedly. "Anybody come in yet with information?"

"It's only been a day, give it time," Katara said, waving her hand absently as she placed a card on the table. Sokka groaned and threw down his cards, slamming his hand on the table.

"You're cheating, I know it!" he whined into the wood.

"Am not!" Katara said, offended. She flicked a card at his head and turned to Amaya. "Just be patient, someone will-"

_Knock knock._

"Cool!" Toph grinned, sitting up. "Now say it should be raining money, sugar queen!"

"Joo Dee?"

That got everyone's attention. Amaya stared wide-eyed at Joo Dee, the real Joo Dee, standing there on their doorstep like nothing had happened. Katara, Sokka, and Toph immediately came over, looking at her suspiciously.

"Hello Amaya, Katara, Sokka, and Toph."

"What happened to you?" Sokka demanded. "Did the Dai Li throw you in jail?"

"Jail?" Joo Dee said, cocking her head as if it was the most absurd thing she had ever heard. "Why would they do that? The Dai Li protect our cultural heritage."

"But you went missing after the Earth King's party," Toph reminded her.

"I simply to a short vacation to Lake Laogai, out in the country," Joo Dee said. "It was very relaxing."

"They replaced you with someone else who also called herself Joo Dee," Katara said.

"But… I'm Joo Dee," she said, looking genuinely confused.

"We know," Amaya soothed, but she was sending pointed looks at the others that clearly said 'something here stinks and it's not Sokka's sleeping bag.' "Why are you here?"

"Putting up posters and dropping flyers is forbidden in the city without proper clearance," she said, holding op one of the flyers Amaya had just gotten done dropping. Sokka made a sound of disgust.

"We don't have time to get permission for every little thing!" he said irritably.

"You are absolutely forbidden by the rules of the city to put up anymore posters," Joo Dee said.

Amaya would admit it later on, she snapped, and it definitely wasn't pretty. Her face got all purple-colored and if Aang were there he would have said she did a great impersonation of Monk Kyro.

"Look!" she bellowed angrily, stepping in front of Joo Dee, who backed up sharply. "You can take your rules and permission and clearance and shove it! We're looking for Appa whether you like it or not, city laws be damned!" She waved her hand and the door banged shut loudly, the wood frame cracking a bit.

"That may come back to bite us in the blubber," Sokka said. "You've already made the leader of the Dai Li mad Amaya. I think you're pushing it."

"I don't care," Amaya growled. "I'm sick of sitting around being the good little Avatar. We're finding Appa, and the Dai Li can get over themselves, or I'll _make them!"_

"Yeah!" Toph grinned, throwing up her hands. "Let's break some rules!" She promptly destroyed the left corner of their house. Amaya frowned at the damage, then looked at Toph.

"Not quite what I was going for, but you're in the right spirit!"

She opened the door, relieved to find that Joo Dee wasn't there waiting to try and lecture them about rules again. Where she was, Amaya didn't know, and quite frankly she didn't care as she led her tiny army out into the streets in force.

Okay, so they were only putting up posters, but still.

Who knew putting up posters could be so dramatic? Amaya wondered as she heard Katara shout from a few streets down. The unmistakable sound of freezing water followed, then ice hitting stone. She hopped onto a rooftop, jumped over an alley, and then landed next to Katara.

"What wrong?" Sokka asked as he ran up with Toph.

"Jet's back," Katara said coldly. Amaya's eyes widened. She had been more focused on Katara, wondering if she'd been hurt in an attack, but now she turned to see where Katara was glaring. There was Jet, dressed the same way he was last time they saw him. Ice spikes protruded from his clothes, keeping him pinned, and his hook swords were on the ground in front of him.

"We can't trust anything he says!" Katara said, clearly running on anger and embarrassment of what she'd almost done for Jet.

"Katara," Sokka said, considerably more clear-headed when faced with the Freedom Fighter. "We don't even know why he's here."

"I'm here to help you find Appa!" Jet said, jumping in. He unclenched his left hand and one of the flyers uncurled, showing Appa's picture.

"Katara, we have to give him a chance," Amaya said. By no means did she trust Jet, oh no, she'd seen what he'd been willing to do just to rid a village of a few soldiers. But giving him a chance was something she could do.

"I've changed, I promise," Jet swore. "I was a troubled person, I let my anger get the best of me, and I did things I'm not proud of. But I don't even have the gang now! I've put it all behind me!"

"You're lying!" Katara snarled immediately, but Toph stepped forwards and put her hand on the wall next to Jet. She was silent for a moment before saying, "No, he's not."

"How would you know?" Sokka asked, confused.

"When people lie, there's a physical reaction," Toph explained. "I can feel his breathing and heart beat."

"She's right," Amaya backed her up. "Hearth rate speeds up and the breathing becomes shallower. Also, facial movements are stiff and limited to the mouth instead of the whole face. Reactions are delayed. He's telling the truth." She placed a hand on Katara's shoulder. "Katara, this is the best lead we've gotten in weeks. If it was anyone but Jet, you'd jump on this just as fast as I would."

"Alright," Katara submitted. Her gaze went hard and she pointed a finger at Jet. "But we're not letting you out of our sight."

"I understand," Jet said, hanging his head. Katara waved her hands and the ice pins turned to liquid, freeing him. "Here's what I heard. I've got a job at one of the warehouses down at the docks and I heard these two guys talking about a giant fluffy creature they were taking care of."

"Giant and fluffy," Sokka repeated. "Sounds like Appa."

"It's not too far from here," Jet said. "I can take you there now and then be out of your lives. I just want a chance."

"Take us there," Sokka said. Jet edged cautiously between Katara and Amaya, the former of which gave him a death glare, and took the lead, guiding them into a rougher section of town.

"This doesn't look like a good neighborhood," Sokka said suspiciously. "How do we know you aren't leading us into a trap?"

"Refugees can't get very good work in the city because there's so many of us," Jet explained. He stopped in front of a warehouse with a single row of windows high up the walls. "Here it is!"

He and Sokka moved forwards, heaving open the heavy doors, and they all wandered inside. Immediately it was plain that there was no Appa.

"Nothing," Amaya said sadly.

"If this is a trap…!" Katara said sharply.

"I told you, I work nearby!" Jet said, his voice going towards annoyed.

"He was here!" Toph called. Amaya immediately ran to her side and took the tuft of white fur from her hands. She stroked it softly.

"We missed him," she said sadly.

"The shipped that fluffy thing out yesterday."

Amaya whirled to see an inconspicuous man sweeping the floor. They had overlooked him until he spoke.

"Where?" Amaya demanded eagerly. "Where's Appa?"

"Foreman said some rich royal type out around Whale Tail island bought him, for a zoo I'd guess. 'Bout time too, I've been cleaning up fur and various other, uh… _leavings_ all day."

"Where's Whale Tail Island?" Amaya asked, bouncing at Sokka's side. He reached into his pack. "Come come on come _on_," she pleaded.

"It's far," Sokka whined. _"Very. Far."_ He placed the map on the ground and pointed. "It's nearly all the way back home to the South Pole." Katara groaned.

"It'll take us week to get to the edge of the Earth Kingdom, and then we'll have to find a boat to take us out to the island."

"Doesn't matter," Amaya said immediately. "We have to find Appa no matter what."

"Amaya's right," Katara admitted. "Our first priority has to be Appa."

"Must be nice to go to an island," the old man said. "I haven't had a vacation in years."

"Don't you have more hair to clean up?" Katara snapped.

"I gotcha, shuffle on, nobody needs old sweepy."

"Let's just go!" Amaya said, gesturing as she ran out the door, the others following.

"We can take the train to the wall, but after that we'll be walking," Sokka said.

"So?" Amaya smiled. "On the way back we'll be flying!"

"We're finally leaving Ba Sing Se!" Toph rejoiced. "Worst. City. _Ever!_"

"Jet!"

Everyone turned at the call and saw Smellerbee and Longshot running towards them.

"I thought you said you didn't have your gang anymore?" Katara demanded, hands going to her canteen.

"I didn't!" Jet insisted, confused.

"We were so worried about you!" Smellerbee said, slamming into Jet and wrapping him in a hug. "How'd you get away from the Dai Li?"

"The Dai Li?" Katara repeated, now near an aneurism.

"I swear, I don't know what she's talking about!" Jet shouted.

"We saw them drag you away weeks ago!" Smellerbee said, gesturing between herself and Longshot.

"Why would I be arrested?" Jet demanded. "I've been living peacefully in the city!"

"This doesn't make any sense," Toph said, crouching and placing her hand on the ground. "They're both telling the truth."

"That's not possible!" Katara pointed out.

"No it isn't!" Sokka said, understanding. "They both _think_ they're telling the truth! Jet's been brainwashed!"

"What, that's crazy!" Jet insisted. "I'm fine!" They all stepped towards him. "Get away from me!"

They took jet back to the small room where Smellerbee and Longshot were staying. It was closer, and jet was near panicking. They managed to settle him down before they started working things out.

"The Dai Li sent jet to mislead us, and the janitor was in on it too," Amaya reasoned. "Appa's probably still in the city, maybe where they took Jet."

"They didn't take me anywhere!" Jet pleaded.

"We have to jog his real memories," Amaya said, shaking her head.

"Maybe Katara could kiss him," Sokka said slyly. "That should jog some memories."

Amaya smacked him.

"Try to think of something for your past that stirs your emotions," Toph suggested.

"The Fire Nation!" Smellerbee said, taking a step forwards. "Think of what they did to your family Jet!"

"Close your eyes and picture it," Katara advised. Obediently, Jet closed his eyes. He was silent for a moment, concentrating. Sweat broke out on his brow. He jolted forwards suddenly. "No!" he said sharply. "It's too painful."

"Maybe this will help," Katara said, placing her hands on the sides of his head. The water around her fingers glowed. Jet stared at the ground and let her do her thing. His eyes went blank, then distant, as if they were focused on something only he could see.

"They took me somewhere, a headquarters under the water, like a lake, no an ocean," Jet said suddenly.

"I got it!" Sokka said excitedly. "Remember what Joo Dee said? She took a vacation to Lake Laogai!"

"That's it!" Jet said, jumping up. His face was pale and clammy. "Lake Laogai."

It took a three hour walk, but they reached lake Laogai fairly easily with the aid of Sokka's map.

"So where's this base?" Katara asked as they stood on the shore, staring out over the smooth, base-less water.

"Under the water, I think," Jet said.

"There's a tunnel over there leading from the shore," Toph said casually, pointing. She wandered over and jumped. Suddenly a little ridge of earth appeared leading out into the lake, a stone cover over a hole at the end. They walked out across the slippery stone and Toph removed the cover, revealing a ladder descending into a dank, musty pit.

"Why can't secret bases ever be clean and well-kept?" Amaya asked, before jumping. The others followed after her down the ladder. Once on the ground, they could see the unmistakable work of Earthbenders. The stones in the walls fit together with no gaps, the ceiling perfectly arched all the way down. Stone slabs served as doors.

"It's all starting to come back to me," Jet whispered as they walked.

They passed one that was cracked open just enough to see inside. Inside, a Dai Li agent stood in front of a group of women dressed identically, with identical blank faces.

"Hello, my name is Joo Dee," the man said, and the women repeated him in unison. "We're so lucky to have our walls to create order." Again, they repeated him. Amaya shuddered and moved on.

Her head was reeling. Brainwashing? It was the stuff of nightmares, tales older siblings told their younger brothers and sisters to scare them. Who was the sick individual who had dreamed up a method to actually accomplish it? The monks had taught that free will was any humans, bender or not, male or female, whatever nation, god-given right. To take that away…. That was like making a human no better than a dog, eagerly awaiting order and treats from its master. It was horrifying, to think that her free will could be gone one day, that someone could make her no more than an empty shell, her only thoughts those she was allowed to think.

"Are you okay?" Katara asked, stopping and staring at Amaya's pale face and wide eyes. Amaya nodded slowly.

"Yeah. It's just…"

Katara understood. "I know." She nodded.

"I think there's a cell big enough to hold Appa up ahead," Jet called back quietly. He turned a corner. "Here, this is it!"

He grunted, gripping the edge of the door and shoving. The door ground open, revealing a circular, darkened room. Cautiously, they all stepped inside. The floor was smooth and paved, but the walls were rough, jagged stone, definitely natural. Any self-respecting Earthbender would have smoothed out the walls.

A loud grating sound echoed off the stone walls, then a bang. Everyone whirled to see the door closed firmly behind them. The light went up, set in niches around the floor. They all looked up to see Dai Li agents dangling from chains on the ceiling, like great, robed bats.

"You have made yourselves enemies of the state," said a voice, and Amaya hissed furiously, whirling to face the direction of the speaker.

"Take them into custody."

Long Feng. Of course, because he hadn't caused them enough trouble. Somehow, Amaya thought she should have figured it out sooner. Long Feng would not have been so confident in his threatening if he had no hold over them, and what hold could he have other than Appa? It was so obvious she could have slapped herself. But she didn't have time for that as Dai Li agents dropped in a circle around her little group, taking ready stances.

Amaya would qualify what happened next as her first real battle, with an opposing side numbering more than one, her own doing the same. She skipped from opponent to opponent, freeing someone up, switching enemies. Jet threw himself into battle ferociously, undoubtedly deserving of his revenge. He was the one here who had really suffered at the hands of the Dai Li, having been made into no more than their puppet.

She heard a shout and saw Katara and Sokka being dragged towards Dai Li agents by those creepy stone hands they were so fond of. Toph jumped in a freed them, quickly taking out the pair that had seized them.

It was then that Amaya realized how powerful her friends truly were. Katara and Sokka she had seen fight countless time before, but not like this. They were both deadly accurate with bending and boomerang. She knew Longshot was an amazing archer, but now he shot in near darkness, striking precisely and destroying flying hand and flying hand. Smellerbee was a tiny little thing, but she was mighty, and she was angry. Any Dai Li agent that came near her fell. Toph. She'd never seen Toph fight Earthbenders before, barring the 'fighting' of Earth Rumble VI. It was then that she realized what a good choice she had made in asking Toph to be her Earthbending master. The girl was head and shoulders above men who had been training for longer than she had been alive, and she was literally fighting blind. Jet had picked two agents and wasn't letting up for anything. He continuously beat them back and then hemmed them in when they tried to get away. He was clearly working out issues, but he was doing it with style, Amaya mused, as she watched him fight. With his hook swords, he was nigh unstoppable.

She jumped, blasting two Dai Li agents into the wall with a burst of air. The sound of running feet caught her ear and she spun lightly, expecting to see a Dai Li soldier coming towards her, but instead she saw Long Feng fleeing through and open doorway.

"Long Feng's escaping!" she yelled, hoping the call would draw her some backup as she ran after him. She was_ not_ letting him get away, not after everything he'd done. She heard feet running beside her and looked, expecting to see Katara or maybe Sokka. But no, it was Jet, scowling thunderously. Amaya grinned. At this point, Jet would not go down, he wouldn't let himself. He valued freedom above all else, and his had been cruelly snatched in the most personal way possible.

Long Feng was _so_ screwed.

The pair charged through and archway into a room lined with pipes dripping water. There was a grating sound Amaya was now familiar with from behind them. She whirled, and as expected Long Feng was crouched there in front of where the door used to be.

"You've been a thorn in my side for entirely too long, Avatar," he said, straightening. "This is your last chance if you want your bison back."

"You do have Appa!" Amaya yelled angrily, taking a ready stance with her staff. "Tell me where he is!"

"Agree to leave the city now, and I'll wave all changes and allow to leave with your lost pet."

"You're in no position to bargain here!" Jet snapped, stepping forwards. He was barely restraining himself, Amaya could see that.

"Am I not?" Long Feng asked.

"Oh, you're sure as _hell_ not," Amaya said sharply, mad enough to let a curse word slip.

"Jet, the Earth King has invited you to Lake Laogai," Long Feng said, and it was so unexpected, so _random_, that in that moment, Amaya _understood_.

This was not brainwashing, not in the sense of total reprogramming. This was hypnotism, powerful hypnotism, but hypnotism none the less. Jet had indeed been hypnotized, but it didn't kick in until he heard the trigger phrase. It had to be something uncommon, that wouldn't come up in everyday conversation.

"I am honored to accept his invitation."

And now every bit of Jet's rage was focused on her. Amaya yelled as she ducked under his attempt to decapitate her, slipping behind his back and flipping away, staring between Jet and Long Feng in horror.

"You monster!" she screamed at Long Feng as she ducked under Jet's attacks. "How could you do this?"

Long Feng just smiled. Amaya snarled and dove backwards. "Jet, you don't have to do this!"

"I'm afraid he doesn't have a choice anymore," Long Feng said, and Jet threw himself back into the fight.

"Jet, please," Amaya begged as she frantically dodged. She couldn't attack him, not while he was like this. He wasn't in control. "I'm your friend!" she shouted, shoving him backwards with a burst of air. Sparks flared and died as his swords glanced across the stone. "Jet, please!"

Jet wasn't in control of himself, he was hypnotized. Or was he? Amaya's mind backtracked to the one time she had visited a circus, when Gyatso had taken her while visiting Bumi. There had been a hypnotist. He displayed his skill by making a member of the audience perform various tricks they normally wouldn't have been capable of. But the man's movements had been clumsy, slow, unrefined. Jet's fighting was just as honed and deadly as it had always been. Could that mean that there was only a fine line separating the real Jet from control? Perhaps, to keep Jet's skills in place, Long Feng had sacrificed a measure of control over him. One thing, what was one thing that would bring the real Jet back?

Amaya smiled. She had it.

"Jet, this isn't you!" she shouted. "You're a Freedom Fighter, that's who you are!"

Jet froze, and time slowed. Then it suddenly passed in a rush, and before Amaya could do anything, it was all over.

"Do it!" Long Feng had snarled, and then Jet showed himself. He whirled, screaming as he hurled the dagger of his sword at Long Feng. The older man easily dodged. Suddenly there was nothing but dust, then that was gone, and Jet was down, and so was Long Feng, and everything was wrong, wrong, _wrong!_

Amaya flew to Jet's side.

"I'm sorry, Amaya," he ground out.

"Don't talk like that," Amaya said sharply as she dimly heard the door open behind her and everyone rushed in. "You're not dying, idiot."

"Not sure about that," he said with a weak ghost of his usual smirk. Katara knelt, her hands glowing with water. She ran her palms over his torso, feeling for injuries.

"This isn't good," she said, turning to Amaya with fearful eyes. Amaya moved to get water from the pipes, meaning to help her, but Smellerbee cut her off.

"You go find Appa," the girl said.

"We're not leaving you!" Sokka snapped.

Then an unfamiliar voice spoke. Amaya's head shot up as Longshot spoke for the first time. "You go. We'll take care of him. He's our leader."

"Go on Katara," Jet said weakly. "I'll be fine." Then he gave a true smile, not a cocky smirk, but a real smile, and Amaya felt her stomach lurch. This boy was so young, her age, yet he had experienced so much.

"He's lying," Toph said as they walked away. Amaya froze. What was she doing? She was leaving someone behind again, this time in the belly of the beast. No, not again. She had sworn to herself and to every person in the world that she wouldn't leave anyone behind ever again.

"Amaya?" Sokka asked, turning when he noticed she was no longer beside him.

"No," Amaya said, eyes flaming angrily. "That's not good enough."

She turned and stalked back over to the tiny trio, so small but so brave.

"What are you doing?" Smellerbee asked around her tears. "Go, get out of here!"

"I will, but so will you," Amaya swore. She knelt beside Jet and touched his shoulder tenderly. "All of you."

She reached behind her with both hands and felt cool water slick over them from the liquid dripping from the pipes. She stared at her glowing hands and placed them over Jet's torso. He was watching her intently, but his eyes were slowly dimming. He was slipping.

Amaya winced as she felt what Katara felt. Blood where there shouldn't be blood, bone where there shouldn't be bone. She forced her energy, all of it, into this healing. She wasn't going to let Jet die. He may not have been the most honorable man in life, but that didn't mean he deserved death. Besides, maybe he really had turned over a new leaf. Who was she to judge who should live and die based on past actions.

"Amaya, stop," Katara said as Amaya started to sway. "It's too much, you can't-"

Light burst from her eyes, her tattoos, her slightly open mouth, and everyone gasped as Amaya entered the Avatar State. Jet gasped and arched under her touch as bones slid back into place and blood absorbed back into his veins. He felt his insides moving and had to restrain himself from throwing up at the sensation.

Amaya faded and stared down at Jet wearily. He blinked at her and then, ever so slowly, testing himself, he sat up. He winced and clutched his chest, but he seemed to be just sore.

"Better?" Amaya asked softly, her voice hoarse. Jet suddenly wrapped his arms around her neck.

"Thank you," he said softly. Amaya grinned and patted his shoulder.

"No problem," she said, slowly prying him away. "But we aren't out of the line of fire yet. Longshot, Smellerbee, take him," she said. "Take him and get out, then get out of Be Sing Se. It's not safe for you here anymore."

"Got him," Smellerbee said as she and Longshot carefully helped Jet to his feet. He leaned heavily against Smellerbee as Longshot retrieved his swords and handed them to him reverently. "Thanks, Amaya."

"No problem," Amaya said, standing up tall and firm and watching as they slowly left. She sagged suddenly and Sokka moved forwards to grab her as she slumped. It was clear to see she was exhausted, but was holding it together until the others left.

"Appa," Amaya said, forcing herself to stand upright. "We have to get him."

"We can come back," Katara said.

"No!" Amaya snapped. "I'm fine, I just need to move. We have to go!"

"Amaya," Sokka said, placing two hands on her shoulders and forcing her to look at him. "Are you sure?"

Amaya blinked at him. "Of course."

He nodded. "Then let's go."

Amaya stumbled frequently, but she kept pace with them as they ran, looking in door after door and trying desperately to find Appa. It was their third hallway before they found where he had been kept. This time it was obvious he had been here. There were six shackles, the correct size and distance apart to restrain an air bison.

"Long Feng got here first," Amaya said softly, sagging against the doorframe wearily. "He's gone. Long Feng took him."

"Maybe we can still catch him!" Sokka encouraged. Amaya nodded, but she wasn't so sure. Her strength was fading fast. She had extended herself farther than ever before healing Jet, and she still hadn't finished the job.

Toph seemed to sense that Amaya wasn't up for much, because they didn't bother with finding their way through passages, they made their own, bursting from the water of Lake Laogai, leaping onto the shore and running along the bottom of the cliffside.

Sokka looked back to see Dai Li agents jumping from the hole and chasing after them.

"Do you think we can outrun them?" he asked, looking worriedly at Amaya who was red-faced and panting heavily, tripping over leaden legs every other step. She shook her head.

"I doubt it matters," she said, pointing t the line of Dai Li in front of them blocking their way. This line included Long Feng. The Dai Li in front of them rode a wall of earth up, blocking their way, and the ones behind did the same, trapping them between the base of the cliff and the water. Dai Li agents clung to the sides of the walls and the cliff like grotesque, bloated spiders waiting to pounce on their trapped prey.

Amaya looked up at a familiar chittering noise. Momo soared down the cliff, circled her once, and landed on her shoulder.

"What is it Momo?" she asked. Momo chattered and took off, flying past Long Feng and vanishing in the glowing orb of the sun. But then a huge, hulking shape appeared, blackened by the sun backing it. As it drew closer and lowed, it became distinct.

"Appa!" Amaya screamed. Appa crashed through the walls, flinging Dai Li into the water, Toph and Amaya quickly finished those on the cliff. Long Feng stood, glaring at Appa as he landed in front of him and snorted.

"I can finish you myself, beast!" he snapped, kicking, but Appa clenched his foot between his teeth and reared up, hurling the man into lake Laogai. Appa spit out a shoe and was rushed by four ecstatic friends.

"Appa!" Sokka muttered, flopping on his leg, just like Toph and Katara were doing. Amaya stretched out on top of his head, burrowing her face in his hair and inhaling the familiar scent. Tears rolled down her cheek.

"I missed you buddy," she whispered to him.

"I have a question," Toph said suddenly. "Long Feng wasn't expecting Appa. So if he didn't know Appa was free, who let him go?"

"That's a good point," Katara said. "I mean, who would… what's that?"

Amaya sat up and looked where Katara was pointing. The ribbon of a mask was tied around Appa's horn. A very familiar mask, of a Blue Spirit. Amaya smiled, pulling the mask free and placing it in her lap, stroking the ribbon softly.

Amaya only dared hope that this was more than an act of affection, that Zuko left behind the mask as a way of saying that his past was no longer controlling him, that he had given up his pursuit. That had been her one lingering fear. Zuko had a tough decision to make, far harder than she did. To truly be together, she would only risk annoying her friends for a while, he would risk a throne, and his entire family. He had the choice between her and what he had always thought his life should me. With Ozai on the throne, he couldn't have both.

And just like that, Amaya had another reason to remove Ozai from power.


	14. In Which the Castle is Stormed

One they were a safe distance from the Dai Li, Amaya had landed Appa on a spire of rock jutting from the water. Toph, Katara, and Sokka had quickly dismounted and were planning, but Amaya was still with Appa. She had sprawled out across the top of his head, and was telling him about everything he had missed, even whispering the bits about Zuko into his ear while she half listened to Katara and Sokka fight over what to do with next.

"Look, we escaped the Dai Li, we got Appa back, I'm telling you, we should go tell the Earth King about our plan now. We're on a roll!"

"One good hour after weeks of trouble isn't much of a roll," Katara pointed out.

"We can build on it!" Sokka insisted. "If we're going to invade the Fire Nation by the eclipse then we need the Earth King's support."

"What makes you think we'll get it?" Toph challenged suddenly. "From what I've seen, things don't usually go that well for our little gang."

"Toph's right," Katara supported. "Long Feng and his conspiracy go too deep for us to fight. I say we just keep flying and leave this horrible place behind us. Besides, Amaya can barely stand!"

"I'm with sweetness," Toph agreed. "I've seen enough of Be Sing Se and I can't even see!"

Amaya jumped, landing beside Sokka. "I'm fine," she insisted, but everyone could see her shaking knees and the dark circles under her eyes. She was pale and looked more like a drug addict suffering from withdrawal than a girl ready to face a king and tell him his advisors were corrupt. "We have Appa now, there's nothing stopping us from telling the Earth King about everything, the war and the conspiracy. This is our best shot at winning the war, and unless you want to try conquering an entire country just the four of us, we need help!"

"See, Amaya's with me!" Sokka grinned. "It's the whole reason we came to Ba Sing Se in the first place."

"Well, I guess if the king knew the truth, things could change," Katara admitted. Toph jumped up.

"I don't trust the new positive Sokka. Long Feng brainwashed you, didn't he?"

"No," Amaya said, shaking her head. "But I found him." She pointed out over the water at the three junks patrolling the lake in tight formation.

"That's probably Long Feng's men looking for us," Sokka said. "We have so move. So?" he asked Katara.

"Let's fly," Katara said determinedly. Amaya grinned and leapt onto Appa. It had been a while since she flew without tack, but she thought she did pretty well, considering the circumstances.

"Can we please buy a saddle? Flying bareback is terrifying!"

Toph, it seemed, didn't agree.

"There it is," Sokka said, pointing to the complex in front of them. "The whole thing is the palace. The Earth King's chambers are probably somewhere in the middle."

"We should be careful," Katara cautioned. "Long Feng has probably warned the king that we're coming."

"Why would you think that?" Sokka snorted. "I bet we'll just sail right in, and… Ah!"

"What was that?" Toph demanded fearfully as Amaya swerved to avoid the flying rocks.

"Flying rocks!" Amaya shouted back. "Katara was right, we're under attack!"

And the funny thing was, Long Feng might have succeeded in keeping them back… if he hadn't made Amaya practically flame with anger. She had never truly hated anyone before, not like she hated Long Feng now. He had taken Appa, had nearly taken Jet's life, and was unknowingly helping Ozai defeat Ba Sing Se.

Amaya thrust out hand with a snarl and it shattered into dust. She didn't even feel tired anymore. Instead, she was running on anger. This must be how Zuko had felt for so long. How had he maintained this for so long? She felt a flicker of pity for him as she jumped and sliced another missile down the middle, sending the halves spiraling around them. She perched gracefully on Appa's horn and then kicked off, landing hard on the ground. A shockwave rippled out, flinging the soldiers assembled in front of them back. The leader was the only one who remained seated atop his ostrich horse. Appa landed in front of him and snarled. His mount threw him and raced away fearfully.

Soldiers lined the walkway as they made their way towards the stairs into the palace. They fired stone cubes towards them. Sokka and Katara hung back close to Appa as Toph and Amaya took the lead, deflecting and destroying every missile. Katara brought out her water and whipped the lines of soldiers back, apologizing the whole way. A phalanx came towards them and Toph took over, lifting the stone paving slabs beneath their feet and flipping them over, pinning the soldiers.

"Sorry!" Katara called as they ran around the soldiers. "We just need to get in to see the Earth King!"

"Katara, that's not helping!" Amaya snapped, then yelped as she saw huge stone statues flying towards them. She and Toph moved the small paving stones, forming a bunker over them. The statues shattered and Amaya winced at the noise, lowering it as Katara took off. She iced a slide in front of her and slid out across the moat, grabbing water from below and landing, twirling the water and knocking a line of soldiers into the drink. She stretched the water across both arms and spun, snagging the leg of one soldier and swiping the rest of them away as the others came across the bridge.

Now they faced the soldiers pouring out of the palace down the stairs and boulders falling from levels above. Toph stepped forwards and Amaya could tell from the determined look on her face to stay back. Toph jerked her arms and the tall staircase was suddenly a slide, the stairs snapping into one long chute. Soldiers went for a long ride as Toph and Amaya worked together, ripping up a section of the stonework under them to use as a platform. They rode it to the top of the stairs, soldiers falling around them all the way.

"Seriously, we're on you guy's side!" Sokka swore. "Sorry!"

They reached the top and Toph and Amaya each took a side, raising a wall and shoving it, pushing the soldiers back as they raced inside through the long hall in front of them. They reached a room with four passageways, one way they had just come through, the other three spilling soldiers.

"Toph, which way to the Earth King?" Sokka asked.

"How should I know?" she snapped. "I'm still voting we leave Ba Sing Se."

Amaya, Toph, and Katara kept the soldiers back with their respective bending strengths as Sokka ran from door to door, checking for a way that seemed promising.

"Any time now would be great Sokka!" Katara snapped.

"I'm trying!" Sokka insisted as he peered inside a door.

"Burglar!" shrieked the woman inside before fainting.

"Sorry, wrong door!" Sokka apologized, closing the door behind him.

Amaya froze.

_Zuko was standing in a shabby but clean apartment, dressed in his Blue Spirit disguise, minus the mask. Or perhaps standing was too nice a term. He was swaying dangerously. He pitched forwards and crashed into a table, knocking off a vase that shattered on the ground. The table supported him only for a moment before it collapsed and he hit the ground._

"_Zuko!" Iroh yelled, rushing for him. _

"Amaya, come on!" Katara shouted. Amaya unfroze.

"Grab onto something!" she ordered. Everyone followed her cue and Amaya began to spin, arms wide. A tornado appeared around her, picking up soldiers, loose bits of rubble, and decorations and slamming them into walls. Amaya dropped to the ground and Sokka clambered over a pile of wreckage.

"Now that's an impressive door!" he called down, staring at the green and gold monstrosity. "It's got to lead somewhere!"

Toph shot herself over the rubble on a stone platform. Amaya grabbed Katara under the arms and jumped, hauling her over with them. Sokka leapt at the door, trying to kick it open, but the door didn't even shake as he slid to the ground. Amaya and Toph ran forwards, attacking with their respective elements and blasted the doors off their hinges, Sokka flying with them.

"Some warning next time!" Sokka demanded. Katara pulled him to his feet as they ran past and the four assembled in a line before the Earth King. Long Feng stood furiously in front of him, a line of Dai Li stretched before the throne.

"We need to talk," Amaya said sharply as everyone stood ready with their weapons.

"Your Majesty, they are here to overthrow you!" Long Feng said.

"We're on your side!" Sokka insisted.

"You invade my palace, take out my guards, break down my fancy door, and you expect me to trust you?" the Earth King asked, rising furiously. He still didn't cut an impressive figure, with his skinny arms and thin build. He looked much more like a bespectacled scholar, and they would have easily mistaken him for such had he not been wearing royal robes.

"He's got a point," Toph said.

"If you're really my allies, you drop your weapons!" the Earth King bargained. Amaya hissed as she threw down her glider. Toph dropped her boulder, Sokka his machete, and Katara sucked her water back into its canteen.

"There, see?" Sokka asked. "We're your allies!"

"We're friendly, your Majesty," Amaya said with a curtsey.

"Detain the invaders!" Long Feng ordered. The Dai Li stepped forwards and suddenly they all had their hands tied behind their backs by the signature stone hands the Dai Li favored.

"But we dropped our weapons!" Sokka said angrily. "We're your allies!"

"See that the Avatar and her friends never see the light of day!" Long Feng said triumphantly. The Earth king paused.

"The Avatar," he said, looking at Katara. "You're the Avatar?"

"Not me, Amaya," Katara said, gesturing towards Amaya, who held up her hands, easily fracturing the hands.

"Here!" Amaya grinned.

"Your Majesty, what does it matter?" Long Feng said as Amaya held her hands up in plain sight, even though she let the remains of the hands hit the ground. "They are enemies of the state."

"Perhaps you are right," the king said, though his looked unsure. Amaya giggled as the furry nose of a bear snuffled her hips. She dropped to her knees, grinning, and rubbed him happily.

"But Bosco seems to like her!" the king grinned, as if that fixed everything. "I will hear them out!"

Well, maybe it did fix everything.

Amaya stepped forwards, Bosco following her in the hope of more petting. Amaya grinned fondly at the animal and rubbed his stubby ears as she talked.

"Well your Majesty," Amaya began. "There's a war going on now. In fact, it's been going on for a century, since I… er, left. The Dai Li have kept it secre in an attempt to control both you and the city."

"A secret war?" the Earth King blinked. "That's crazy!"

"Completely," Long Feng sneered.

"The Dai Li didn't want us to tell you so they stole our sky bison. Long Feng blackmailed us in an attempt to keep us quiet!" Amaya accused. "And blackmail is the least of what he's done! He brainwashed our friend Jet and tried to make him kill me!"

"All lies," Long Feng said to the king. "Your Majesty, I've never even seen a sky bison. Frankly I thought they were extinct."

The Earth King sat down again, pondering. "Your claim is difficult to believe, even from an Avatar."

Long Feng leaned forwards and whispered in the king's ear, but his eyes never left their quartet. When he drew back with a smug smile, the king began to speak.

"I must listen to my advisor," the king said finally.

"What?" Amaya shrieked as she felt stone close around her wrists once again. The Dai Li behind them began leading them towards the door.

"Wait!" Sokka yelled suddenly, wheeling around. "I can prove Long Feng is lying! He said he's never seen a sky bison, right? Have him lift his robe!"

"What?" Long Feng demanded, but he seemed less confident now. "I am not disrobing!"

The king seemed a bit suspicious, so Amaya hurried it along. She inhaled deeply and blasted air at Long Feng. His robe flew up, revealing deep purple bruises in the shape of teeth around his ankle.

"Appa bit him!" Amaya said. "Right there, you can see!"

"That happens to be a very large birth mark," Long Feng said sharply, shoving his robe down. "Thanks for showing everyone."

"I guess there's no way to prove where those marks came from," the king said.

"Of course there is," Sokka disagreed.

"Yip yip!" Amaya called, and Appa charged into the room. The Dai Li scattered fearfully and Amaya held up her hands. "Easy boy, hold still." She tickled under his chin and Appa opened his mouth wide. "See his teeth?" Amaya said. The king came forwards, examining them curiously. Amaya walked over to Long Feng and yanked up his robe, ignoring his protests and pointing to his bite. "See the mark? It's a match!"

"Yeah, that pretty much proves it," the king submitted.

"Whoo!"

"But it doesn't prove this crazy conspiracy theory."

"Aw."

"I suppose it's worth looking into now."

"Eh?"

Long Feng trudged out of the room with his Dai Li agents, glaring at Amaya hatefully. She waved and stuck out her tongue, grinning.

"We can prove that too!" Sokka said. "We'll take him to the Dai Li's secret headquarters!"

* * *

"So this is a train. I didn't know it would be this… public."

"You've never been outside the upper ring before?" Katara asked.

"Oh, I've never been outside the palace before," the king nodded matter of factly. He looked out the window to where Amaya was flying with Momo on her head. "Now that's the way to travel! Where are we going exactly?"

"To Lake Laogai," Sokka said. "Under it actually, to the Dai Li's secret headquarters. You're about to see where all the brain-washing took place."

* * *

"It's gone!" Toph shouted as the shattered tunnel appeared on the surface of the lake.

"The Dai Li must have destroyed it when they heard we were coming!" Katara insisted, seeing that they were losing the Earth King.

"That seems awfully convenient," he said suspiciously.

"This just proves that there's a conspiracy even more," Sokka said.

"Long Feng was right, this was a waste of time," Kuei said. "If you don't mind, I'm going back to my palace."

"The wall," Amaya said softly.

"What?" Sokka asked.

"They'll never be able to clean up the wall in time," Amaya said. "There's too much to repair."

"That's genius!" Sokka praised. Amaya smirked.

"Been known to happen."

"King Kuei," Amaya said, landing in front of him and owing. The king drew back in surprise and looked down his nose at her.

"What?" he asked. "Another conspiracy you'd like me to look into?"

"My humblest apologies," Amaya said, still bowing. "We were clearly badly misinformed. I'm terribly sorry for making you come all this way. Perhaps, as an apology, I could take you back to the city personally, on Appa."

The Earth King grinned. "I could do that."

"Your Majesty, without your soldiers?" one of the guards asked.

Amaya smiled. "Oh, you all will fit too."

* * *

Amaya grinned as the heard the Earth King yelling behind her.

"First time flying?" Toph asked.

"It's both thrilling and terrifying," he said.

"Yeah, I hate it too," Toph said.

"I must admit," King Kuei said. "Part of me is glad that what you told me about the war wasn't true."

"Oh, it was," Amaya said firmly. "I wish it wasn't true. But now I'm taking you to prove it."

"What?" Kuei demanded angrily. "I thought you were taking me back to the city."

"That's the sad part," Amaya said, turning to face him. "I am. You see?"

She pointed as the outer wall came into view. A barrier had been erected around the drill, preventing anyone from getting close, but workers had already assembled scaffoldings around it, ready to start repairs.

"What is that?" Kuei asked in horror.

"A drill," Sokka filled in. "A giant drill, made by the Fire Nation to bore through your walls."

Amaya took them down on the edge of the wall and they all got off. King Kuei went slowly to the edge and looked down. Glaring up at him was the Fire Nation insignia.

"I can't believe… I never knew," he said softly, shaking his head.

"Your Majesty, I can explain."

Amaya snarled and turned as Long Feng rose up beside them with a group of Dai Li.

"Go ahead and try to explain this one away," Amaya challenged. "I dare you."

"It's simply a construction project."

"With the Fire Nation emblem on it?" Katara said, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, it's imported! You can't trust domestic machinery, you know," Long Feng said. It was clear though that the king was convinced without a shadow of a doubt. "Your Majesty, you aren't really going to believe children over your most loyal and trusted advisor?"

Kuei looked at all the faces surrounding him, and then decided. "Dai Li, take Long Feng into custody. I want him to stand trial for crimes against the state."

The Dai Li hesitated for a moment, and then cuffs shot from their robe and circled his wrists. He was yanked into the grip of his subordinates.

"You can't arrest me, you need me more than you know!" Long Feng shouted as he was dragged away.

"Looks like Long Feng is long gone!" Sokka called. Amaya smacked him.

"Gloating is tacky," she said loftily. A grin slipped over her face. "But in this case, totally justified."

* * *

"I can't believe I didn't know about this. You fuur have truly opened my eyes," King Kuei said, sitting on his throne. Bosco was subdued, lying at his master's feet. He seemed to sense his mood. "What I thought was a great metropolis was merely a city of fools. That makes me the king fool. We're at _war_. With the _Fire Nation."_

"That's why we came to Ba Sing Se," Sokka said encouragingly, stepping forwards. "We think you can help us and the war."

"There's a comet coming," Amaya said, moving to Sokka's side. "At the end of summer, it's energy will grant the Firebenders unbelievable power. They'll be unstoppable."

"But there is hope," Sokka continued.

"Literally and figuratively," Amaya muttered.

"Before then, we have a window of opportunity. A solar eclipse. The sun will be completely obscured and the Firebenders will be helpless."

"What are you suggesting Sokka?" the king asked.

"That's the day we attack the Fire Nation. The Day of Black Sun."

"That would involve moving countless troops out of the city," Kuei mused. "We'd be vulnerable!"

"Sir, with all due respect, would you be any more vulnerable than you have been up until now?" Amaya asked. "Your walls have kept them out up until now, but as you saw today, they won't hold long. Ba Sing se is the only major city left. Even Omashu has fallen and King Bumi has been taken prisoner."

"You have two choices, your Majesty," Sokka said. "You can either sit here and wait for the Fire Nation to destroy you, or attack and give yourselves a fighting chance."

"Very well," Kuei decided. "You have my support!"

"Whoo!"

"Your Majesty," said a man as he came into the throne room and knelt before the monarch.

"This is General Han, one of the Council of Five, my highest-ranking generals."

"We found files in Long Feng's office that I think would interest everybody here," the general said, standing.

* * *

The Earth King sat at a table with Amaya and co. around him.

"This box contains files on everyone in Ba Sing Se," Han said. "Including you," he added, gesturing to the teens.

Kuei reached into the box and pulled out a scroll. "Toph Bei Fong," he read. He handed it to Toph, who passed it to Katara. She unrolled the scroll and scanned it.

"It's a letter from your mom!" Katara said in amazement. "She's in the city and she wants to see you!"

"Long Feng intercepted our mail?" Toph snorted, shaking her head. "That's just sad."

"Amaya," he said, handing her a scroll. "This was on the horn of your bison when the Dai Li found him."

"From the Eastern Air Temple!" Amaya grinned as she read.

"I don't suppose there's anything for us?" Katara asked.

"No," Kuei said, shaking his head.

"But there's an intelligence report that might interest you," Han said, bringing a scroll from his belt and handing it to them. Katara unrolled it eagerly and began reading.

"A small fleet of Water Tribe ships," Katara read.

"That could be dad!" Sokka cheered.

"Protecting the mouth of Chameleon Bay… Lead by Hakoda! It is dad!" Katara beamed.

* * *

"A letter from the Eastern Air Temple," Amaya smiled as they settled on the rug in the Library. Kuei had left them to do kingly things and get the ball rolling on their attack, as well as to start undoing the damage Long Feng had done to the people's psyche. "There's a man there, he says he's a guru!"

"What's a guru?" Sokka asked. "Sounds like some kind of poisonous blowfish."

"A guru is a spiritual expert," Amaya snorted. "He says he knows about the Avatar State, and he can teach me to control it!"

"And we know where dad is now!" Katara said, looking at the scroll in her hand happily.

"I know what you mean," Toph said. "My mom's in the city, and from the sound of her letter she finally understands me!"

"This is all such big news," Sokka said. "Where do we start?"

"I hate to say it," Katara said. "But we have to split up."

"Split up?" Amaya blinked. "But we just got our tiny dysfunctional family back together! You want us to split up again?"

"Amaya, you have to meet this guru. If we're going to defeat the Fire Nation, you have to be ready."

"I know," Amaya sighed. "I just don't' like it, is all." She perked up. "But Chameleon Bay is on the way to the Eastern Temple. I could drop you off on the way!"

"Someone has to stay behind with the Earth King and help plan for the invasion," Sokka said, standing, "I'll do it."

"No," Katara said, standing too. "I know how much you want to help dad. I'll stay, you go to Chameleon Bay."

Sokka looked at her with tears in his eyes. "You are the best sister ever!" He hugged her tightly and planted a kiss on her cheek.

"Easy there big brother," Katara said, pushing him away. "Though you're right, I am."

"We can leave tomorrow, it's already getting late," Katara said.

"Okay, tomorrow it is," Sokka said. "Then to bed we go."

"I'll be there in a minute," Amaya said. "There's something I have to do first."

"What?" Toph asked. "We can help."

"No," Amaya said, shaking her head. "This is… sort of a personal thing."

"Going to say goodbye to your boyfriend?" Katara teased. Amaya gave her a harsh 'shut up!' sort of look.

"Maybe," Amaya said, standing up and raising her chin. "I'll be back soon."

"Who is this guy, Amaya?" Sokka asked. "You didn't tell us."

"No one," Amaya said, perching on the window and unfolding her glider. She jumped and soared away.

"Do you know who it is?" Sokka asked Katara, who grinned proudly.

"Maybe."

"Who is it?" Sokka asked eagerly.

"Not telling," Katara said, sticking her tongue out.

"Come on, give me something. Do I know him?"

"Not telling."

Amaya was fading fast. In fact, she was close to passing out. With all the action of the day over, healing Jet, running from the Dai Li, invading the palace, and proving Long Feng's guilt, all with no sleep, she was running on empty and she still had a job to do.

_Zuko was standing in a shabby but clean apartment, dressed in his Blue Spirit disguise, minus the mask. Or perhaps standing was too nice a term. He was swaying dangerously. He pitched forwards and crashed into a table, knocking off a vase that shattered on the ground. The table supported him only for a moment before it collapsed and he hit the ground._

"_Zuko!" Iroh yelled, rushing for him. _

Amaya had pushed the vision to the back of her head, but now she had to know what was wrong with Zuko. If he was injured, she could help him, she knew. She had no idea where he lived, but a little name-dropping with the owner of the tea shop got his address. Amaya landed in a crouch on the upper level of an apartment complex. She skittered along the rail, closing her glider, and dropping in front of a door, knocking gently.

It wasn't long before the door was opened by Iroh.

"Oh, it's you," Iroh said, giving her a small, tired smile.

"Can I… come in?" Amaya asked awkwardly. She didn't know how much Iroh knew about her relationship with his nephew, but the old man always seemed on top of everything, so she'd wager a lot.

"Of course," he said, opening the door wider. Amaya stepped inside and looked around. The place was small and a bit run-down, but it was cozy, with little personal touches all over. And sprawled on a pallet by the window was Zuko.

He looked horrible, drenched in sweat and shaking, his eyes shut tight as he curled a little bit tighter. Amaya stared at him sadly, a hand pressed to her mouth to try and obscure her trembling chin. Was he hurt freeing Appa? If he was, she'd never forgive herself.

"You don't seem surprised to see him like this," Iroh said as he knelt at his nephew's side. Amaya sat on the other side, examining his face.

"I'm not," she admitted. "I don't really know how, some sort of Avatar thing I suppose, but sometimes I get these flashes, like visions, of what he's doing, where he is," she smiled. "It's comforting." Her smile fell. "But then I saw him like this. I was worried, so I… I came to see if there was anything I could do to help. What happened?"

"A spiritual crisis," Iroh said, and Amaya nodded, understanding. The monks had spoken of them occasionally, very rare occurrences where someone made a choice to do a complete one-eighty personality wise.

"Can I ask what triggered it, if that's not too personal," Amaya said.

"Certainly," Iroh nodded. "He has finally let go of his past. He no longer hunts you desperately. He was torn beneath that lake. Part of him wanted to let the bison go to you. The other part wanted to follow after it and then bring you back to the Fire Nation. He has finally decided his path."

"Not necessarily," Amaya warned. "Sometimes people revert, or a decision puts them back on their old path."

"Water," Zuko whispered hoarsely, disrupting the conversation. "Uncle, water. Please."

"You have a visitor," Iroh said as he lifted the ladle from a bucket of water at his side. He passed it to Amaya, who gently brushed his sweat-sodden bangs back from his face. Gold eyes fluttered open, dark bags hanging under them.

"Aya," Zuko said, and Amaya inhaled sharply.

"What did you say?" she asked, hardly daring to believe she'd heard that right.

"Nickname," he grunted weakly, looking up at her. "D'you mind?"

Amaya laughed softly. "No," she said, shaking her head. "I love it. It's just been a while since someone called me that. Here, drink." She raised his head and lifted the ladle to his lips. He cupped her hand and tilted the ladle towards him, guzzling the water.

"Slowly," Amaya cautioned. "You'll make yourself sick. Well, sick_er._"

"How'd you know I was ill?" he asked.

"How else? Avatar stuff. I knew something was wrong and I came as soon as I was free," she grinned. Her smile faded slightly. "Actually, I came for two reasons." Her eyes flicked to Iroh, who got the message and stood, leaving the room.

"Why else?" he asked.

"Well, I got this letter from a guru. He can teach me to control the Avatar State," Amaya explained. "He's… pretty far away."

"You're leaving," Zuko surmised.

"Just for a while," Amaya said hastily. "And when I come back, I expect to see you ready and waiting to _try_ and kick my butt, mister."

"I'll work on that."

"I have to go," Amaya said sadly. "It's been a long day and I'm leaving in the morning." She leaned forwards, brushed his bangs back, and kissed his forehead. Zuko leaned up and captured her lips for a moment before lying back down.

"Hey Zuko?" Amaya said before she stood.

"Huh?"

"I think I may."

Zuko looked at her in amusement, actually managing a weak grin. "I think I may too."

"I'll see you soon," Amaya said, kissing him quickly once more before standing up.

"See you."

She left, flying back to the palace. Iroh came after she had left, grinning widely.

"You were listening, weren't you?" Zuko asked him, managing a weak glare.

"Of course," Iroh said matter of factly. "You think you may what, Zuko?"

"Nothing," Zuko muttered, rolling over. His eyes fluttered and closed. Just before he fell asleep, he muttered, "I really think I may."

Iroh grinned.

* * *

"Amaya and Sokka, I wish you a good journey," Kuei said as Amaya and Sokka prepared to leave. "Ba Sing Se owes you it's thanks."

Amaya and Sokka bowed, and he scrambled up onto Appa, eager to get going and see his father.

"You Majesty," said a messenger, running up. "There are three female warriors here to see you from Kyoshi Island."

"That's Suki!" Sokka yelped and promptly fell off Appa.

"You know these girls?" Kuei asked curiously.

"The Kyoshi Warriors are a skilled bunch of fighters. They're good friends of ours!" Sokka said.

"Then they will be welcomed as honored guests," King Kuei said. She messenger bowed and ran off.

"I'm really going to miss you guys," Toph said, hugging Katara and Amaya.

"Me too," Katara said. They all looked at Sokka, then as one they tackled him in a group hug.

"Oh, okay, I'll miss you guys. Great, we all love each other. Seriously, get off."


	15. In Which Amaya Is Wary of Yellow Liquid

Amaya took Appa down on a ridge not far from where the Water tribe ships were beached. Sokka had asked her not to land directly in the camp. She had a feeling he was going to use the walk down there to convince himself he should do this.

"You must be so excited!" Amaya grinned at Sokka. "I mean, you haven't seen you dad in what, two years?"

"I know I should be," Sokka said, doubling over and clutching his midsection. "But mostly I just feel sick to my stomach."

"Aw, come on," Amaya said, giving him a hearty thump on the back. "Your dad's going to be over the moon to see you!"

Sokka grinned thankfully at her. "What about you? You nervous to meet this guru guy?"

"Nope," Amaya said, shaking her head. "I mean, if he can help, great! That General Fong guy was crazy, but he had the right idea. If I can turn the Avatar State on and off, then it would be a lot easier to defeat the Fire Lord."

Sokka hopped down and waved.

"See you in a week!" Amaya called as she took off. "Yip yip!"

It didn't take long to get to the Eastern Air Temple. Amaya looked on eagerly as she approached, taking in the spires and arched bridges. She hadn't been here since she was two, when she was first discovered to be a bender and sent off for training. Traditionally, the women went to the Western and Eastern Temples, the men to the Northern and Southern. However, suddenly she had been whisked away to the Southern Temple. Why, she had had no idea until she found out she was the Avatar. The Southern Air Temple had a reputation for producing the most skilled Airbenders. Still, it was hard growing up as the only girl in a temple full of men. But for a little bit of fate, she might have spent her life here.

Amaya squinted through the thin cloud cover as she came closer. She could just pick out the shape of a man meditating on one of the balconies over the edge of the mountain. She used to love meditating in places like that. But for the stone under you, it was like sitting in midair.

She flicked her reins and Appa went down, headed for the man. As they drew closer, Amaya could see that his skin was worn, brown, and leathery-looking. He was stick-thin, his ribs showing clearly. Perhaps he was an ascetic. She'd never understood those guys. He was completely bald, pate gleaming in the sun, but he had truly impressive eyebrows and a thick, bushy white beard and mustache. He was dressed only in a shawl wrapped skillfully over his shoulder.

"Excuse me?" Amaya called as Appa landed. "Are you… Guru Pathik?" She dismounted and climbed the stairs up to where he sat. He didn't react, so she sat down across from him. "Did you put the note on Appa's horn?"

"I did," the man said. Amaya frowned. He had some sort of strange accent, but she couldn't for the life of her place it. "I was once a spiritual brother of your people, and a personal friend of Monk Gyatso."

"You knew Gyatso?" Amaya asked, leaning forwards eagerly. "I mean, you really did?"

"I did."

"What was he like when he was younger?" Amaya asked eagerly. Guru Pathik paused and seemed to be contemplating for a moment.

"Well, he was sort of weird."

"That's him," Amaya said fondly. "So, in your note you said that you could teach me to control the Avatar State?"

"I can," Pathik nodded. "To bring balance to the world, you must first bring balance to yourself. And the first step is with this!" He reached behind himself and picked up a chipped wooden bowl with some sort of yellow murky liquid in it. "Drink up!"

Amaya took it cautiously. It looked gross. "If this kills me, my next incarnation is so going to kick your butt." But, bracing herself, she took a sip… and promptly gagged as the taste hit her tongue. She spit it out, scrubbing her tongue furiously. "Oh my… what in the name of Agni? Argh, it tastes like onion and banana juice!"

"That's because it is!" Pathik said cheerfully, picking up his own bowl and draining it in one long slurp. "Yum yum!"

Amaya just blinked at him. "You're crazy, aren't you?" she asked.

"It's been suggested," Pathik shrugged.

They stayed there until Amaya managed to keep down an entire bowl of the onion banana slop without barfing. It wasn't pretty, but Pathik was a good sport about it. He held her hair back while she vomited. Finally she managed it though, and even though Amaya felt and looked like she'd just come off a drinking binge, Pathik insisted that they had more to do that night. When the moon was full and high, he took her to a series of pools. When one filled with water tumbling down the cliffside, it rushed into the one below. Lush green growth spread around the scene. It was very peaceful and pretty.

"In order to master the Avatar State, you must first open all the chakras," Pathik instructed. "Amaya, tell me everything you know about chakras."

"I have to open all of them before I can master the Avatar State," Amaya deadpanned. "Plus, it begins with a 'ch' sound."

"Ah," Pathik said, nodding in understanding. "We'll start with the basics then." He picked up a stick and trailed it lazily through one of the pools. "The chakras are very much like these pools. See how the water swirls in each one before flowing on to the next? It's like the energy flows in your body."

"So, chakras are swirling pools of energy in our bodies?" Amaya clarified. She hated it when the monks tried to get deep and philosophical, comparing obscure concepts to natural phenomenon. Monk Kyro in particular was fond of this. Amaya used to delight in dumbing his lectures down to the most rudimentary concepts just to make in him mad.

"Exactly," Pathik approved. "So if there's nothing around, the energy flows free and clear. But life is messy and things fall into the creek. So what happens then?"

"Blocked chakras?" Amaya said, skipping over the anecdote and cutting right to the point.

"Essentially, yes!" Pathik said, and he seemed mildly disappointed she didn't stick with his pool metaphor. "So, onwards!"

Amaya scampered after the old man as he wandered up the rocky cliff path like he was part mountain goat gorilla. How he managed to have that much energy, she had no idea. The man lived on onion and banana juice for Tui and La's sakes!

She was a bit embarrassed by the fact that she was panting more than the supercenternarian by the time he lead them to where they needed to go. 'Where they needed to go' turned out to be a cave with needle-like stalactites and stalagmites. There was a flat plateau near one of the walls, where Pathik perched in a meditative pose. Amaya sat down across from him and settled herself in a loose lotus position.

"There are seven chakras," Pathik began. "They run through the body. Each deals with a specific kind of energy and can be blocked by a different kind of emotional gunk. Be warned!" he cautioned. "Opening the chakras is an intense experience, and once you begin, you cannot stop until all seven chakra are open."

"Ever been joined with a vengeful spirit intent on using you to carry out its justice?" Amaya asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Not lately."

Amaya opened her mouth then did a double take. She eyed the man carefully then shook her head. "I think I got this. I don't really have a choice at this point." She took a deep breath. "Yeah, I'm ready."

"Good," Pathik nodded. "Then we will begin with the earth chakra. It deals with survival and is blocked by fear. Picture your fears, let them become real around you."

Amaya closed her eyes and focused. What was she afraid of? She concentrated all her energy on the base of her spine and suddenly her mind was flooded with visions.

_Fire licked at her skin, dancing around her feet as she huddled into a ball. All around her were corpses of people she knew, people she loved. There were Katara and Sokka, sprawled together, Sokka's hand holding Suki's. There was tiny little Toph, curled into a ball with an expression of utmost horror on her face. Jet and the rest of the Freedom Fighters were scattered around, along with Gyatso and other monks. Directly in front of her were to figures, one much smaller than the other. One was scarred, the other tattooed. Zuko and Aang. They were both bloody, limbs sticking out at odd angles. A dark, shadowy figure stood over them. Flames licked at it welcomingly as it cackled. _

"_You next, little girl," said a deep, cold voice. Amaya screamed and recoiled, one hand reaching back. It landed in a puddle of something slick and she lost her support. Turning, she saw her hand was coated in Momo's blood, perky ears dropping over sightless eyes._

"_Amaya, your visions are not real," Pathik's voice echoed around her. "You are concerned for your survival. Let it all flow down the creek."_

_Amaya sat up again, staring at the hulking figure in front of her. Ozai. He scared her. She knew he could kill her. But… he was just a human, like her, like Katara, like Toph. He was just a human. _

Slowly, Ozai's outline blurred, then vanished, along with all the corpses. The flames died down and she was back in the cave. Amaya pitched forwards, sweating and shaking. She panted, staring at the stone inches from her nose. Pathik wasn't lying, that was intense, and deeply personal. She had thought nothing could be more intense than the incident with the ocean spirit, but she was wrong. This was not someone else's emotions, these were her own, and that made them infinitely harder to confront.

"Congratulations," she heard Pathik say dimly. "You have opened the first chakra."

_Tui, La, Agni, Kyoshi, Roku, Fang, Haibi, Yue, Wan Shi Tong and Koh even, be with me. I need any help I can get._

Apparently they had to relocate for each chakra, so Amaya resigned herself to a long night as she settled across from Pathik in a niche behind a roaring waterfall.

"Next is the-"

"Water chakra?" Amaya suggested, eying the waterfall.

"Exactly!" Pathik praised cheerfully. "Maybe one day you will be a guru too."

"Sorry, the diet sort of ruined it for me."

"Ah well. This chakra deals with pleasure and is blocked by guilt. What do you blame yourself for?"

That was simple. Amaya saw once again the light mist outside her window as she laid her farewell letter on her bed and jumped into the sky.

"I ran away."

The saw her glowing eyes, the blue lights that had haunted her dreams, when she revisited all her experiences with the Avatar State and all the people she had terrified.

"I hurt all those people."

"You must accept that these things happen, and not let it weigh you down," Pathik instructed. "Don't let it cloud and poison you energy. If you want to be a positive influence on the world, you must forgive yourself."

She remembered all the times Gyatso had told her to let it go when the other Airbenders teased her for being a girl or wearing her hair long instead of shaved back like most females. It was hard, but she had managed it. She remembered how she had meditated and let every single insult slip away from her into the ground. This time, she flung the guilt form her and let the waterfall wash it away.

"You have opened your water chakra!" Pathik praised as Amaya came back to herself.

Next he took her to sit on a ledge overlooking the valley. It was filled with mist, and as the sun rose, everything was dyed orange and red.

Third is the fire chakra. It's located in the stomach."

Amaya stared out. It really did look like they sat above a flaming valley, the flickering, twisting mist like smoke rising and the vague light of flames far below. It was beautiful.

"Can I feed my fire chakra something besides the yellow pasty stuff?" Amaya asked.

"Good one!" Pathik giggled, before getting serious. "Moving on. This chakra deals with willpower and is blocked by shame. What are you most disappointed in yourself for?"

_Amaya saw herself again standing on the rock in front of Jeong Jeong's hut. Fire danced around her fingers and her expression was one of pride and accomplishment. She stood on the bank beside Katara and watched, on edge. She knew what was about to happen. She suddenly lost control of the fire and her expression went from smug to worried, then horrified as it flowed towards Katara. Amaya tried to shove her out of the way, but she wasn't truly there. Amaya just passed through the memory of Katara and hit the ground as she screamed and fell._

"I will never Firebend again," Amaya said aloud, remembering her words.

"If you deny this part of yourself, you will never be in balance within yourself," Pathik said. "You are the Avatar, and therefore you are a Firebender."

Amaya closed her eyes and breathed. The monks had taught that sometimes imagining physical actions could help while meditating. Amaya had never really been able to just… let go. She had always had to imagine things draining into the ground below her, or throwing it away. This time, she pictured Katara's burned hands stretched out before her. The fiery mist in the valley washed over them and the skin healed, new and unblemished.

Amaya exhaled and opened her eyes.

"Huh," Pathik mused. "That chakra opened less like a flowing creek and more like a… burping bison!"

"Er, I'll work on that," Amaya said, looking at the guru strangely.

Next they walked up a flight of crumbling stairs to a patio. The awning overhead had long since collapsed, but most of the rest of it was still intact. Amaya looked around curiously. She spotted a statue of a female monk and turned away, her heart aching. She recognized the woman. Monk Aara, who wrote a famous book on meditation and its uses. But because of her, once she was gone, no one would know that anymore. People might come up here in the centuries to come and see that statue, and think nothing more than, 'oh, so that lady must have been pretty important.'

"The fourth chakra is in the heart, and deals with love. It is blocked by grief. Lay all your grievances out before you."

Amaya closed her eyes and breathed.

_She was sitting in the clouds, staring out over ranks and ranks of Airbenders, Gyatso at the forefront. They all sat there, eyes open and watching her. The clouds whipped up around them and obscured them. Amaya was suddenly being pulled away, and she watched as the monks floated up, all flapping robes and staring eyes. _

"_You have indeed felt great loss," Pathik's voice echoed. "But love is a kind of energy. It swirls around you." The clouds around her picked up, raising her into the air and swirling around her. "The Airbender's love for you has not left. It has been reborn in the form of new love." A face bloomed from the clouds covering that Airbenders. A scarred face, with floppy bangs and golden eyes. Amaya smiled softly. _

"Very good," Pathik said, and Amaya opened her eyes. She was surprised to find tears trailing down her cheeks. Hastily, she wiped them away. With all the things going on, the destiny that had been shoved in her face, she had had no time to really grieve for the loss of her people. But now she had, and her heart felt lighter, less burdened with sadness.

"Can I have some onion banana juice please?" Amaya grinned weakly.

Next he brought her to a meditation chamber with a huge statue of a meditating female monk to their left.

"The fifth chakra is the sound chakra. It rests in the throat. It deals with truth and is blocked by lies, the ones we tell ourselves."

"_Why didn't you tell us you were the Avatar?"_

"I never wanted to be," Amaya replied aloud.

"We cannot lie about our nature," Pathik said. "You must accept that you are the Avatar."

Amaya breathed. This was easier, she had seen countless proof of her nature in her action and the events around her. It was sheer stubbornness that kept her from accepting it, like a wall she had built in the back of her mind. She imagined herself standing before that wall. She inhaled, her palms pressed together in front of herself. She suddenly yanked her hands apart and shoved them to the ground. The wall ground down and Amaya finally accepted.

"Good," Pathik praised. "You have opened the truth chakra."

Next he took her to stare at the sunset, rays of light shooting over the peaks of the mountains in front of them and drenching them in warm light.

"The sixth chakra is the light chakra. It is in the center of the forehead and deals with insight. It's blocked by illusion. The greatest illusion in this world is separation. Nothing is separate."

"The four nations," Amaya whispered. It was a construction, something people had thought up to keep people divided, but it was really one world.

"Right. We are one people but we live as if divided."

"We're connected. _Everything_ is connected."

"Even the elements are an illusion. If you open your mind, they are all one, just four parts of the same whole. Even metal is just a part of earth that has been purified and refined."

"I've always believed that," Amaya admitted.

"Good," Pathik praised. "Then you have already opened the light chakra."

Night was falling as they sat down on top of one of the towers. Amaya stared up at the stars wheeling overhead.

"This is the last chakra, isn't it?" she asked.

"Yes. Once you have opened this chakra you will be able to go in and out of the Avatar State, and once in it, you will be in complete control of your actions."

"That would be good," Amaya sighed. "Let's do this."

"The thought chakra is at the crown of the head. It deals with pure cosmic energy and is blocked by earthly connections. Meditate on what connects you to this world."

Amaya closed her eyes.

_Once again she sat in the clouds. Ranks and ranks of people stood around her, the same people she had pictured dead earlier. A hand wrapped itself around her waist and Amaya turned, looking up to see Zuko smiling down at her. Katara, Sokka, and Toph came to her side, hugging her tightly. Behind them, she could see Momo perched on top of Appa's head. _

"Now, let all of it go, let it flow down the creek, forgotten."

Amaya's eyes snapped open. Something about that struck her as inherently wrong. Let go of the people she loved?

"Why would I do that?" she demanded. "Let go of Katara, Toph, Sokka… Zuko. I love them."

"Learn to let them go," Pathik said. "Or the cosmic energy can't flow into you."

"Why would I trade cosmic energy for people I love, who love me too?" Amaya asked. She wasn't asking Pathik, more herself. She looked up at him and asked. "Why would I give that up? Three chakras ago, that was a good thing!"

"Amaya, to master the Avatar State, you must open all the chakras. Surrender yourself."

Amaya thought. Avatar State, or people she loved? Up font, it was an easy decision, but delving deeper… did she really have the right to keep the advantage of the Avatar State from the world just because she wanted to hold on to people? Did that make her selfish? She was surprisingly okay with that. No one was perfect, no one. If her main flaw was being a bit selfish, she was okay. The monks had always said that a mirror that reflected your true self was hard to look into. Well, it was, and now she finally understood why.

If there was no war with the Fire Nation, Amaya would have walked away then, Avatar State be damned, and never talked to Pathik again. But she couldn't. She would not let the world suffer from her selfishness. This was bigger than her now.

"Okay," Amaya said, closing her eyes. "I'll try."

_She closed her eyes and imagined herself surrounded by her friends again. Slowly, she pushed them all away, and watched their images float into the stars above. Finally, she turned to Zuko, still holding her and looking at her quizzically. She reached out, placed her hands on his chest, and shoved hard. He flew away from her and into the sky, vanishing in a burst of purple light._

_Suddenly there was a road beneath her, a slim, shining ribbon of light. It ticked the bare bottoms of her feet. Amaya felt… free. She looked up and saw a huge image of herself in the Avatar State floating in the air down the path. In her hands was clenched an orb of cosmic energy. Stretching her arms out to the side, she walked carefully along the path. The other her lowered slowly as she walked. As she drew closer, her tattoos began to glow. She was so close now. One more step and she was inside the orb._

"_No!" Amaya turned and saw Katara struggling against chains, screaming. "Let me go!"_

_She didn't think. It wasn't a choice anymore. She was selfish. She'd get over it, but right now, Katara was in trouble. She ran back down the road towards Katara. Then there was no road and she was just falling. _

Amaya came back to herself with a jolt and she was back on top of the tower across from Pathik. She jumped to her feet.

"I have to go, Katara's in trouble!"

She slid down the side of the roof, heading for Appa, but Pathik's voice stopped her.

"Amaya, by choosing earthly desires you have locked the chakra! If you leave now, you won't be able to go into the Avatar State at all."

_No! I'm not leaving anyone behind ever again!_

"I guess I wouldn't make such a good guru, eh?" Amaya said, giving Pathik a weak smile, before turning and jumping. She raced to Appa, jumping onto him and flicking the reins. He seemed to sense her mood and moved fast through the sky, but Amaya urged him on still faster. Who knew when that vision actually happened? She could be too late, or ridiculously early, or…

It didn't matter. Katara was in trouble or she would be soon. She had to go.

She found Sokka quickly, and it was a good thing. The Water Tribe was getting ready to ship out. Amaya landed and it only took Sokka one look at her white, stressed face to know that something was really wrong.

"This can't be good news," he said worriedly. It only took Amaya three words before Sokka was on Appa and they were soaring off for the Ba Sing Se.

"Vision. Trouble. _Katara."_


	16. In Which Hearts Are Torn Asunder

**Thought I'd go ahead and clear this up, but the story referenced at the very end by Amaya is sort of an Avatar-verse version of Romeo and Juliet. Well, this is the last chapter of The Call, but I'm going to go ahead and post the first chapter of the book 3 story (which will be called Family). I know how much I hate it when you have to wait for a sequel for ages, especially with a dramatic ending. Whew, this has been a lot of work, and the farthest I've come on anything ever before. I hope you all have liked the story so far! **

* * *

"So what kind of trouble is Katara in?" Sokka pressed as they flew towards the outer wall.

"The kind where she's in chains," Amaya said tensely. "That's all I saw in my vision."

"You know, it would be great if your Avatar powers could be a bit more specific."

"You have no idea," Amaya muttered.

"What is that?"

Amaya looked down to see a large… thing ripping across the countryside, leaving a cloud of dust and ripped earth in its wake. Only one person she knew could do that much damage…

Amaya took Appa down and sure enough there was Toph, running on top of two bulges of earth, using them to speed herself along.

"Need a ride?" Sokka yelled over the groaning earth. Toph shrieked in surprise and lost control of the dirt. She flew backwards in a shower of pebbles. Sokka and Amaya both winced.

"Sorry," Sokka said weakly as they landed beside Toph.

"Twinkle Toes?" Toph asked as she hopped to her feet. "What are you and boomerang doing here?"

"Katara's in trouble," Amaya explained. "I had a vision."

"Of course sugar Queen is," Toph snorted as she climbed aboard. "Leave her alone for five minutes…" She turned and socked Sokka in the shoulder.

"Ow!" he yelped, slamming into the side of Appa's saddle. "What was that for?"

"For ruining by concentration," Toph said loftily. "So how'd it go with the guru Amaya?"

"Yeah, did you master the Avatar State?" Sokka asked. Amaya giggled nervously, already preparing to lie her butt off, but she paused. Why block another chakra? She'd already royally screwed them, why make it worse?

"No," she said shortly. "I permanently locked myself out of it actually."

"What?" Sokka said, looking at her in horror. "What do you mean?"

"I mean I chose earthly desires over cosmic energy when I saw my vision of Katara and chose to help her. I mean I can't enter the Avatar State."

Sokka looked at her. "So you're saying helping my sister locked you out of the Avatar State?"

"According to the guru, yeah," Amaya nodded.

"Well maybe he's not a good guru," Toph suggested.

"No, he is," Amaya disagreed. "But when it came down to letting go of everything that ties me to the earth… I couldn't do it."

"What do you mean letting go of everything that tied you to the earth?" Sokka asked. "Why can't this philosophy stuff be simpler?"

"I mean, I couldn't let you guys go," Amaya said softly.

"Oh," Sokka said quietly, nodding. "Well, here's what I think. If it means you can't have friends or help, chances are it's not worth it."

"That's what I thought to," Amaya said. "So… you aren't mad at me?"

"No," Sokka said, shaking his head. "I mean, it'd be great to have the Avatar State under your control, and now that you can't access it at all we have a bit of a glitch, but… I can't really fault you. I don't think I'd be able to let go of the people I love either. I don't know what I'd do without Katara."

"Thanks," Amaya said, sighing with relief. She'd been terrified her friends would be furious with her, but they were understanding. Thank the spirits.

They came in low over the palace, thankfully this time without having to storm it, and ran full tilt for the throne room.

"King Kuei!" Amaya shouted as she blasted the doors open. The King looked up from petting Bosco sharply.

"What's all this then?" he asked as the trio assembled in front of him.

"King Kuei, we think Katara's in trouble," Sokka said. "Amaya had a vision. Do you know where she is?"

"Nonsense," the king said, waving his hand absently. "Katara's fine."

"But in my vision I was so sure she was in trouble," Amaya said, stepping forwards desperately. "I saw her tied down in chains!"

"Well," Kuei mused. "She met with the Council of Five to plan the invasion, and since then she's been with the Kyoshi Warriors."

"See?" Sokka said, poking her. "Katara's just hanging out with Suki. They're probably back at our apartment right now talking about makeup and other girly stuff."

"Your friend is fine," Kuei assured them. "Besides, if there was any danger, Bosco's animal instincts would sense it!"

Amaya didn't bother to correct him. As a tame bear, Bosco likely wasn't up on danger.

"Okay," Amaya finally submitted. "Let's just go back to our apartment."

"Yeah, we'll see them there," Sokka said.

They left the palace at a much more sedate pace and flew back to their apartment. The damage Toph had done was still visible, but work had already begun to fix it. They dismounted Appa and went inside, Toph leading.

"Momo!" Amaya cried as the lemur ran at her and scurried up her clothes, perching on her shoulder. He was the only one there though.

"We're alone," Toph said.

"See, I told you Katara was in trouble!" Amaya insisted.

"Oh no," Sokka said.

"Actually," Toph said suddenly, pointing. "There's someone at the door. Hey, I know who it is!" She opened the door to reveal Iroh standing there.

"I need your help," he said urgently while Sokka panicked.

"You!" he said, pointing at Iroh.

"You two know each other?" Amaya asked, looking from Toph to Iroh curiously.

"I met him in the woods and knocked him down," Toph explained. "Then he gave me tea and some very good advice."

"May I come in?" Iroh asked awkwardly.

Toph nodded and Amaya gestured to a pillow. Iroh ignored it and began speaking. "Princess Azula is in the city."

"She must be the one that has Katara!" Amaya realized.

"She had also captured my nephew, Prince Zuko," Iroh said, looking at Amaya out of the corner of his eye. Amaya's silver orbs widened. Katara and Zuko? Oh yeah, Azula was going down.

"Then we're working together to free Katara and Zuko," Amaya said decidedly.

"Wait, wait," Sokka said, stepping in front of her. "You lost me at Zuko."

"I know how you must feel about him, but trust me when I say there's good inside him!" Iroh insisted, grabbing Sokka's shoulders.

"That's great! Sokka said, shoving him away. "Come back when it's outside him too!"

"Sokka!" Amaya said sharply. "Katara and Ba Sing Se are in trouble too. I know how you feel about Zuko, but no one deserves Azula." She looked at Iroh cautiously. "No offense."

"None taken," Iroh deadpanned. "She's crazy and she needs to go down."

"Okay then," Amaya nodded, slamming her fist into her palm. "Our best shot is working together."

"I brought someone who may be able to help us," Iroh said. He opened the door and stepped out onto the porch, the rest of them following cautiously. Sitting in the corner was a bound and gagged Dai Li agent. Toph Earthbended two slabs on either side of him to prop him up.

"Delightful. Dai Li," Amaya said in distaste as Sokka charged forwards.

"Long Feng and Azula are planning a coo to overthrow the Earth King!" the Dai Li agent blurted as soon as his gag was removed.

"My sister!" Sokka demanded. "Where are they keeping her?"

"In the Crystal Catacombs of Old Ba Sing Se, under the palace."

"Then that's where we're going," Amaya said and they all ran off, leaving the man tied up in front of their house. The others got on Appa and flew to the palace while Amaya glided beside them. Iroh seemed both exhilarated and terrified.

"Well what do you know?" Toph said as she examined the courtyard of the palace. "There is a whole city down there, but it's deep."

"We should split up," Sokka said. "Amaya, you and Iroh go after Katara and the angry jerk. Er, no offense."

"None taken."

"Then Toph and I will go warn the Earth King about Azula's coo."

"Okay," Amaya said. "Come on, Iroh."

The two groups split. Iroh lit the way with a ball of fire in his hand while Amaya bent the earth out of their way.

"Your friends don't know about you and my nephew," Iroh said conversationally. Amaya winced as she cleared the next portion of their path.

"No," she said, shaking her head. "Well, Katara does, and I'm pretty sure Toph's figured it out. I'm mostly just trying to keep Sokka from finding out until I have the time to sit down and explain. He's the one that will take it badly."

"So I noticed," Iroh said drily. They were silent for a moment before Amaya spoke up.

"So, Toph says you give good advice. And apparently some awesome tea," she added with a grin.

"The key to both is proper aging," Iroh said poignantly. "What's on your mind?"

"I met with this guru who was going to teach me to master the Avatar State," Amaya explained. "But to do it, I'd have to give up the people I love. I… couldn't do it. Does it make me a bad person that I'm too selfish to give up the people I care about to give us an advantage against the Fire Nation?"

"Perfection and power are overrated," Iroh said. "I don't think selfishness comes into it. I actually think it speaks very highly of you that you chose happiness over power."

"But what if we can't save everyone and beat Azula because I'm not powerful enough?" Amaya stressed, clearing another section.

"I can't answer that. Sometimes life is like this dark tunnel. You may not be able to see the light at the end, but if you just keep moving…" Amaya cleared out the last of the rock and they stepped into a beautiful room. "You will find yourself in a better place."

"And on that wonderfully poignant coincidence," Amaya quipped, staring around. The green crystals illuminated the room, giving it a mystical air. The stonework on the ground was beautiful, with a columned roof over a rectangular pool of water in the middle of the floor. A waterfall fed into it was a gentle rushing sound.

"You sound like Gyatso," Amaya grinned. "I think you and he would have gotten along pretty well."

"Who's Gyatso?"

"My mentor back at the Southern Temple," Amaya explained.

"I thought only men went to the Southern Temple."

"Traditionally, yeah. But the monks figured out I was the Avatar, and since the best Airbenders tend to come out of the Southern Temple, I was shipped off to Gyatso. Of course, at the time I had no idea why." She paused and placed her hand on the ground, waiting and listening. She vaguely heard footsteps a wall away. "Gotcha," she grinned, standing. She jumped, flipping once, and landed with one arm extended and one drawn back. The wall in front of her exploded and she stepped through the dust, followed by Iroh. She kept her stance, prepared for an attack, just in case it wasn't Katara and Zuko. The dust cleared and she saw the pair standing there looking at her in shock.

"Amaya!" Katara shouted, running at her and hugging her. Amaya hugged her back. "How did you know where we were?"

"Avatar thing," Amaya said. "Plus, a Dai Li guy squealed," she added, looking over Katara's shoulder as Iroh and Zuko embraced.

"What are you looking- Oh," Katara said knowingly as she saw where Amaya's eyes were. "Go on," Katara said, shoving her forwards. Amaya turned and glared for a moment before she stepped towards Zuko. Iroh shoved him forwards too, and got his own glare. Zuko turned back to Amaya as Iroh and Katara stood side-by-side, watching interestedly.

"So," Zuko said softly.

"So," Amaya repeated, bright red by this point. "I guess we're even."

"What do you mean?" Zuko asked, confused.

"Well, you break me out of Zhao's prison, I break you out of Azula's," Amaya reminded him. She really would have loved to kiss him, it had been days since she had seen him, but with Katara and Iroh standing there it was a little awkward.

"Oh just kiss her!" Iroh said suddenly. Amaya turned to look at him quizzically, and suddenly found herself enveloped by warm arms, lips on hers. She kissed back eagerly, and felt Zuko smile a bit.

"Okay, ew," Katara said finally, pulling Amaya back. "I can accept the love, but I'm not ready to see it. I've still got some things to process."

"You two go and help your friends," Iroh said. "We can find our own way out."

"Okay," Amaya nodded. She and Katara turned and walked out through the tunnel she had made, leaving Zuko and Iroh behind. Normally she wouldn't have done that, but with Iroh, she had a feeling the old man usually knew best. He was sort of creepy like that.

Azula burst into the room just as Amaya left, and Iroh was imprisoned by crystals the Dai Li raised around him. Immediately Zuko's mind began working frantically, tuning out Azula as he had done for years. Uncle was imprisoned, Azula could catch up to Amaya in a flash. How did both of them get away? If he could get Azula to go after Amaya, Iroh could take the Dai Li. But then Azula would be after Amaya, and that was a problem. Perhaps if he pretended to be on her side he could fight Amaya. They could fight each other for show, and then he could pretend she got away. But then the Water Tribe girl, Katara, would be at Azula's mercy.

Well, it was a start, he decided as he followed Azula, pausing to wink subtly at his uncle and show him that he was a sham. Hopefully, the old man saw and understood.

"We've got to find Sokka and Toph!" Katara yelled as they raced into the room with the pool. Amaya nodded, then frowned as she heard crackling flames. She turned to see blue fire rushing towards them. She raised her hands, the ground raising too. The flames connected and Amaya gasped as the force shattered the wall and shoved her back several feet. Katara ran from around the wall and swept up water from the pool, swirling it around herself to gain momentum before sending it at Azula in a wave. Azula's fiery shield blocked it and turned the water to mist, concealing her. Amaya and Katara stood tense and ready. Blue fire suddenly shot at them as Azula shot out of the top left of the cloud. Working together, they raised a wall of water before them. Azula perched on the side of a column, readying for another attack. Amaya stepped forwards and flicked her hands precisely, taking the column out from under Azula. She gasped and jumped away, landing between Katara and Amaya, pointing a hand at each of them. The other two girls stood ready. Time seemed to stretch languidly as everyone waited for the first move.

It came in the form of a fireball that struck the ground exactly between the three. Amaya turned in surprise to see Zuko standing there. He winked at her subtly and Amaya understood. He was not on Azula's side, but if he didn't pretend to be, he would be in trouble as well. Amaya had always expected that they would have to fight each other to keep their cover, but now the stakes were high. Azula was smart, if they didn't give this their all, she would know.

Zuko attacked Amaya and Azula took Katara. Amaya would have preferred it the other way, but Katara could handle herself and she didn't know that she and Zuko were just pretending. Amaya bent under his attack and began running in a circle, building a tornado. She then raced through it, sending a blast shaped exactly like her towards Zuko. It connected and knocked him onto his back. Amaya winced, but she had no choice.

She jumped up onto the columns to avoid a series of fast blasts. Fire extended into whips from Zuko's hands. He snapped them viciously at the column and she jumped over them, leaping to a cluster of crystal. She raised them in front of her to deflect a blast. The crystal shards stung as they connected, but she took the pain and jumped back to the column as the fiery whips snapped through the crystal beneath her feet. She jumped over the next pass, completely parallel with the ground. She jumped onto a stalactite and cut off the lower portion, letting it fall. She jumped onto it and forced it to the ground. A concussive shockwave blasted out, but the careful observer would note that while it knocked Zuko off his feet, Azula was thrown into a wall. Azula was focused on getting up and Amaya streaked past Katara.

"We're just pretending. Zuko's not with Azula really," she hissed into Katara's ear as she crossed. Azula would undoubtedly focus more on Amaya. Zuko was safer now that he was no longer her opponent. At the moment, Amaya found she was mostly thinking about keeping him safe from his sister. Katara and Zuko were putting up a good fight, but she couldn't pay too much attention or Azula might notice…

Azula came shooting forwards on blasts of fire from her hands and feet. Amaya raised the crystals and covered herself in them, sending herself grinding across the floor towards the girl. The only thing that would decide this was pure ferocity. Azula shot a blast at Amaya and she raised her arms, intending for the crystal to protect her. It shattered under the sheer force of the attack and Amaya screamed, flying backwards and slamming into the wall. She crumpled, dazed.

Meanwhile, Zuko was torn. Go check on Amaya and blow everything? Or keep up the charade? He felt sorry for the Water Tribe girl as Azula attacked her. She was just trying to protect herself. She clearly knew he was not with Azula, her attacks had been fairly weak, but now he had to side with Azula against her, and he had to give it his all, but at the last second he tried to pull most of his attacks and just give the illusion of a big blast. It was Azula who finally blasted the girl back into the crystal, her hair falling down and scattering around her charred clothes.

"Hey Azula!" Amaya's voice shouted suddenly. Zuko turned to see her standing on a ledge, covered in small, bleeding cuts and looking at his sister furiously. "Didn't I already beat you once?" She jumped and came down hard, crouched on a bulge of earth with one leg extended for balance. It rumbled ominously towards them. Zuko might have been worried, but he knew that all of Amaya's rage was directed at Azula, not him, though he was likely to get some of the fallout.

Or maybe not. A Dai Li agent appeared from nowhere, startling Amaya and destroying her rolling wave of stone. She hit the ground and stared around in horror as Dai Li appeared seemingly everywhere. Eight appeared around Katara, who immediately hopped to her feet and got ready with a modified octopus. Amaya stared at her opponents. Azula, Zuko, twenty Dai Li. She was strong, but not that strong. For the first time, she wished she had simply let everyone go. She would need the Avatar State here, she was sure of it. Spirits, she had to do it.

Zuko's heart stopped as Amaya gave him the most apologetic, pained, longing look he had ever seen.

"I'm sorry." He saw her mouth move, but he couldn't hear the words. He knew what she said though as she turned away and sat, crystals shooting up around her and forming a tiny bubble of protection.

_Amaya had tears leaking down her cheeks as she revisited that world above the earth. She didn't hesitate, she ran along the ribbon-like road and plunged into the orb of energy. _

She returned to her body and knew it had worked. She was in control of herself as Pathik had said, and she was glowing. She had mastered the Avatar State, but she felt so unbearably lonely, but so powerful, like she stood at the top of a frigid mountain, high above all else.

Pain lanced through her back and every muscle in her body loosened. Amaya threw her head back and screamed. Then suddenly everything went tight and she curled into a ball. She felt herself falling out of the cosmic energy and back to earth. Sparks danced across her skin, burning painfully. She landed on her stomach in Katara's arms, barely aware.

Zuko had never felt more terrified, not even when his father had been facing him down for the Agni Kai. Amaya lay limply in Katara's arms. Her clothes were charred, completely burned away in patches, and her hair was a wreck, frizzed wildly. But the worst part was her exposed back, the creamy skin marred by a lurid pink starburst stretching across the blue line of her tattoos.

Zuko cursed mentally as Iroh appeared suddenly.

"Go!" he roared. "I'll hold them off as long as I can!"

Zuko stood with no idea of what to do. The Dai Li snuck up behind Iroh and took him down with those stupid stone hands of theirs. Katara was leaving with Amaya, he had to choose fast. Amaya or his family, Amaya or his family? There was no way to have both. He knew which he infinitely preferred, the one that made him feel loved, like he was worth something. Amaya. He remembered that awed look on her face in that cave in the North Pole.

So maybe he couldn't have her. But he could damn well protect her.

If he stayed and pretended to be on Azula's side, he could sabotage her efforts to catch Amaya. He could help uncle get free. He wouldn't be used against Amaya. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that was what would happen if he revealed himself now, and he also knew that he wouldn't get away. The time for his escape had passed while he was processing. She wouldn't be able to handle that and neither would he. She would turn herself over immediately if someone she cared for was in danger. If he chose his family, he could do good, and he would be the only one that suffered.

And, he thought with a humorless mental smile, he'd have what he started this looking for. His _honor._ Suddenly it seemed so hollow a reward when the other option was Amaya.

So, with a heavy heart, he turned and followed Azula out of the cave.

Amaya dangled from Katara's arms as she was pulled away from the fight. She felt like she was dreaming, like everything moved slowly, but it gave her time to work through everything. She watched Iroh as the Dai Li brought him down. She watched every single emotion play across Zuko's face, from horror to despair to a torn look to pain, and then to a solemn resolve. It was with the look of a man going to the gallows that he followed Azula.

It was then that she knew he truly cared for her. If he was simply upset she got away, it would be an expression more akin to when he was chasing her to the North Pole. This looked like sacrifice, and she knew it was hard for him to cut her away like that.

Still, it felt like her heart was being ripped out of her chest as he chose his family over her, even though she knew he didn't want to. She was reminded of an old Air Nomad story of two lovers from feuding villages who fell in love. It was a story similar to Oma and Shu, but these two lovers were different. The girl wished to run away and join the boy, so she faked her own death without telling him. Distraught, the boy went to her grave and killed himself. When she found him, she killed herself out of despair. Amaya had always found the story ridiculous. Who would chose love over family? One could fall in love more than once, but you only had one family. She understood where the pair were coming from now that she had experienced the emotion firsthand, but she still felt that family should trump romance logically.

So why did she still feel so broken inside?

"I definitely do," Amaya whispered as Katara dragged her to the surface. Then she let the darkness flickering at the edges of her vision consume her.

Zuko walked behind Azula with a heavy heart. He knew he would only resign himself to this fate for one reason and one reason alone.

"I definitely do," he murmured.

"What was that brother?" Azula asked sharply.

"Nothing," he muttered, refusing to meet her eye and instead turning to look at the wall. "Nothing."

* * *

Amaya woke to the feel of water on her face and wind brushing her hair into her eyes. Groaning, she opened her eyes and saw Katara kneeling over her and supporting her as they flew away on Appa.

"You're okay!" Katara whispered in relief and clutched her close. Amaya wasn't so sure, her heart felt like it was gone, but she gave a weak smile. She tried to raise her arms to hug Katara too, but the skin on her back stretched with the movement and as the resulting wave of pain washed over her, she passed out again.

* * *

**Not sure how I feel about the ending. It was hard for me to write, but I hope I got across why Zuko did what he did and how torn up he and Amaya were about it. **

**Now, go check out Family!**


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